IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/crpeac/v25y2014i3p272-285.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The reluctance of a developed country to choose International Public Sector Accounting Standards of the IFAC. A critical case study

Author

Listed:
  • Oulasvirta, Lasse

Abstract

A movement towards internationally standardized public sector financial reporting started at the end of the 1990s. This standardization process is led by the non-governmental organization the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). The IFAC has published International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS standards) for all public sector entities from national central governments to local governments. This article analyses the reasons why a developed country refused to adopt IPSAS standards. The analysis is done in the country context of Finland, where the national government accounting board (FGAB) took a negative stand on IPSAS standards. The method of this article consists of a literature review, interviews, a documentary review and of participatory observation in the FGAB. The article describes the reasons for the FGAB's decision and presents an interpretation supported by institutional theory. The choice of the FGAB is compared to the situation regarding the IPSAS adoption in European and especially in Nordic countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Oulasvirta, Lasse, 2014. "The reluctance of a developed country to choose International Public Sector Accounting Standards of the IFAC. A critical case study," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 25(3), pages 272-285.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:crpeac:v:25:y:2014:i:3:p:272-285
    DOI: 10.1016/j.cpa.2012.12.001
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1045235412001347
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.cpa.2012.12.001?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chiapello, Eve & Medjad, Karim, 2009. "An unprecedented privatisation of mandatory standard-setting: The case of European accounting policy," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 20(4), pages 448-468.
    2. Allan Barton, 2005. "Professional Accounting Standards and the Public Sector—a Mismatch," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 41(2), pages 138-158, June.
    3. Pekka Pirinen, 2005. "Economic and normative pressures as drivers for the adoption of International Accounting Standards in Finland since 1976," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(1), pages 213-235.
    4. Johan Christiaens, 2004. "Capital assets in governmental accounting reforms: comparing Flemish technical issues with international standards," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(4), pages 743-770.
    5. Botzem, Sebastian & Quack, Sigrid, 2009. "(No) Limits to Anglo-American accounting? Reconstructing the history of the International Accounting Standards Committee: A review article," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 34(8), pages 988-998, November.
    6. Mariarosaria Agostino & Danilo Drago & Damiano Silipo, 2011. "The value relevance of IFRS in the European banking industry," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 36(3), pages 437-457, April.
    7. Anne Loft & Christopher Humphrey & Stuart Turley, 2006. "In pursuit of global regulation: Changing governance and accountability structures at the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC)," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 19(3), pages 428-451, April.
    8. Sebastian D. Becker & Tobias Jagalla & Jürgen Weber, 2011. "A taxonomy of the perceived benefits of accrual accounting and budgeting: Evidence from German states," Post-Print hal-00623217, HAL.
    9. Sheila Ellwood & Susan Newberry, 2007. "Public sector accrual accounting: institutionalising neo‐liberal principles?," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 20(4), pages 549-573, July.
    10. Marie-Laure Salles-Djelic & Sigrid Quack, 2008. "Institutions and transnationalization," Post-Print hal-01891988, HAL.
    11. Vicente Pina & Lourdes Torres & Ana Yetano, 2009. "Accrual Accounting in EU Local Governments: One Method, Several Approaches," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(4), pages 765-807.
    12. Michael Power, 2010. "Fair value accounting, financial economics and the transformation of reliability," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(3), pages 197-210.
    13. Geoff Meeks & G.M. Peter Swann, 2009. "Accounting standards and the economics of standards," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(3), pages 191-210.
    14. Irvine Lapsley & Riccardo Mussari & Gert Paulsson, 2009. "On the Adoption of Accrual Accounting in the Public Sector: A Self-Evident and Problematic Reform," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(4), pages 719-723.
    15. Eve Chiapello & Karim Medjad, 2009. "An unprecedented privatisation of mandatory standard-setting: The case of European accounting policy," Post-Print hal-00466513, HAL.
    16. Ijiri, Yuji, 1983. "On the accountability-based conceptual framework of accounting," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 2(2), pages 75-81.
    17. Michela Arnaboldi & Irvine Lapsley, 2009. "On the Implementation of Accrual Accounting: A Study of Conflict and Ambiguity," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(4), pages 809-836.
    18. Bengtsson, Elias, 2011. "Repoliticalization of accounting standard setting—The IASB, the EU and the global financial crisis," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 22(6), pages 567-580.
    19. Janet Mack & Christine Ryan, 2006. "Reflections on the theoretical underpinnings of the general-purpose financial reports of Australian government departments," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 19(4), pages 592-612, July.
    20. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/2ilfdosc5a9umpcja7bbsturuq is not listed on IDEAS
    21. Collin, Sven-Olof Yrjö & Tagesson, Torbjörn & Andersson, Anette & Cato, Joosefin & Hansson, Karin, 2009. "Explaining the choice of accounting standards in municipal corporations: Positive accounting theory and institutional theory as competitive or concurrent theories," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 141-174.
    22. Camfferman, Kees & Zeff, Stephen A., 2007. "Financial Reporting and Global Capital Markets: A History of the International Accounting Standards Committee, 1973-2000," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199296293.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Elaine Stewart & Ciaran Connolly, 2021. "Recent UK Central Government Accounting Reforms: Claimed Benefits and Experienced Outcomes," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 57(3), pages 557-592, September.
    2. Tóth, Balázs, 2021. "Milyen kapcsolatban állnak a közszféra reformjai a gazdaságpolitikai paradigmákkal? [How reforms of the public sector relate to the paradigms of economic policy]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(2), pages 205-222.
    3. Vincent Tawiah, 2023. "The Effect of IPSAS Adoption on Governance Quality: Evidence from Developing and Developed Countries," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 305-324, March.
    4. Alessandro Lombrano, 2021. "Dall?armonizzazione alla standardizzazione contabile. Quale via per la riforma degli ordinamenti contabili europei," ECONOMIA PUBBLICA, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2021(3), pages 7-31.
    5. Oulasvirta Lasse Olavi, 2014. "Governmental Financial Accounting and European Harmonisation: Case Study of Finland," Accounting, Economics, and Law: A Convivium, De Gruyter, vol. 4(3), pages 237-263, December.
    6. Zubir Azhar & Ervina Alfan & Krishnen Kishan & Nurul Husna Assanah, 2022. "Accrual Accounting at Different Levels of the Public Sector: A Systematic Literature Review," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 32(1), pages 36-62, March.
    7. Sylvie Rascol-Boutard & Ariel Eggrikx & Pascale Amans, 2018. "L'impasse des comptabilités publique et privée: rendre visible les "biens communs"," Post-Print hal-02289782, HAL.
    8. Fransisca Listyaningsih Utami & Yananto Mihadi Putra & Putri Renalita Sutra Tanjung & Lucky Nugroho, 2020. "Analysis of Audit Opinion of Financial Statements From State Institutions: Indonesia Empirical Study, Period 2012-2017," International Journal of Financial Research, International Journal of Financial Research, Sciedu Press, vol. 11(5), pages 150-160, October.
    9. Ahmed Eltweri & Alessio Faccia & Scott Foster, 2022. "International Standards on Auditing (ISAs) Adoption: An Institutional Perspective," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-19, September.
    10. Bakre, Owolabi M. & McCartney, Sean & Fayemi, Simeon Femi & Nurunnabi, Mohammad & Almosa, Saad, 2024. "Neoliberalism, ‘honour’-based regulatory frameworks of accounting and accountability in a social context: An examination of the role of accounting in the management of subsidies on petroleum products ," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    11. Tóth, Balázs, 2020. "The Public Sector Accounting Reform of 2014 in the Light the Experiences of the Local Governments — A Pilot Project to Explore the Problems," Public Finance Quarterly, Corvinus University of Budapest, vol. 65(2), pages 245-262.
    12. Albertus Theo Jonathan & Khoirul Aswar & Ermawati, 2020. "The Implementation of Accrual Basis Accounting in Indonesian Local Government," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 12(4), pages 67-72.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ferry, Laurence & Zakaria, Zamzulaila & Zakaria, Zarina & Slack, Richard, 2018. "Framing public governance in Malaysia: Rhetorical appeals through accrual accounting," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 170-183.
    2. Oulasvirta Lasse Olavi, 2014. "Governmental Financial Accounting and European Harmonisation: Case Study of Finland," Accounting, Economics, and Law: A Convivium, De Gruyter, vol. 4(3), pages 237-263, December.
    3. Mantzari, Elisavet & Georgiou, Omiros, 2019. "Ideological hegemony and consent to IFRS: Insights from practitioners in Greece," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 70-93.
    4. Crawford, L. & Ferguson, J. & Helliar, C.V. & Power, D.M., 2014. "Control over accounting standards within the European Union: The political controversy surrounding the adoption of IFRS 8," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 25(4), pages 304-318.
    5. Christian Nitzl & Dennis Hilgers & Bernhard Hirsch & David Lindermüller, 2020. "The Influence of the Organizational Structure, Environment, and Resource Provision on the Use of Accrual Accounting in Municipalities," Schmalenbach Business Review, Springer;Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft, vol. 72(2), pages 271-298, April.
    6. Laaksonen, Jenni, 2022. "Translation, hegemony and accounting: A critical research framework with an illustration from the IFRS context," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    7. Aburous, Dina, 2019. "IFRS and institutional work in the accounting domain," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 1-15.
    8. Mari Kobayashi & Kiyoshi Yamamoto & Keiko Ishikawa, 2016. "The Usefulness of Accrual Information in Non‐mandatory Environments: The Case of Japanese Local Government," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 26(2), pages 153-161, June.
    9. Christopher Hossfeld & Yvonne Muller-Lagarde & David Alexander & Moritz Pöschke & Lionel Zevounou, 2018. "European Public Interest," Working Papers hal-01936960, HAL.
    10. Rajat Deb, 2018. "Financial Audit or Forensic Audit? Government Sector Panorama," Indian Journal of Corporate Governance, , vol. 11(2), pages 135-158, December.
    11. Crawford, Louise & Helliar, Christine & Monk, Elizabeth & Veneziani, Monica, 2014. "International Accounting Education Standards Board: Organisational legitimacy within the field of professional accountancy education," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 67-89.
    12. Bhimani, Alnoor & Bond, David & Sivabalan, Prabhu, 2019. "Does greater user representation lead to more user focused standards? An empirical investigation of IASB’s approach to standard setting," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 91196, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    13. Christopher Hossfeld & Yvonne Muller-Lagarde & David Alexander & Moritz Pöschke & Lionel Zevounou, 2018. "L'intérêt public européen/ European Public Interest," Working Papers hal-01862364, HAL.
    14. Adhikari, Pawan & Kuruppu, Chamara & Matilal, Sumohon, 2013. "Dissemination and institutionalization of public sector accounting reforms in less developed countries: A comparative study of the Nepalese and Sri Lankan central governments," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 213-230.
    15. Palea, Vera, 2015. "The political economy of fair value reporting and the governance of the standards-setting process: Critical issues and pitfalls from a continental European union perspective," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 1-15.
    16. Zubir Azhar & Ervina Alfan & Krishnen Kishan & Nurul Husna Assanah, 2022. "Accrual Accounting at Different Levels of the Public Sector: A Systematic Literature Review," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 32(1), pages 36-62, March.
    17. Mussari Riccardo, 2014. "EPSAS and the Unification of Public Sector Accounting Across Europe," Accounting, Economics, and Law: A Convivium, De Gruyter, vol. 4(3), pages 299-312, December.
    18. Fawzi Laswad & Nives Botica Redmayne, 2015. "IPSAS or IFRS as the Framework for Public Sector Financial Reporting? New Zealand Preparers’ Perspectives," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 25(2), pages 175-184, June.
    19. Himick, Darlene & Brivot, Marion & Henri, Jean-François, 2016. "An ethical perspective on accounting standard setting: Professional and lay-experts’ contribution to GASB’s Pension Project," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 22-38.
    20. Durocher, Sylvain & Picard, Claire-France & Dugal, Léa, 2024. "Giving sense to and making sense of OCI: When each component makes sense, but the whole does not," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:crpeac:v:25:y:2014:i:3:p:272-285. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/critical-perspectives-on-accounting/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.