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Will “austerity” be a critical juncture in European public sector financial reporting?

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  • David Heald
  • Ron Hodges

Abstract

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to analyse how austerity has impacted to date upon European Union (EU) financial reporting developments and how this might influence future reforms. It considers how a critical juncture in EU financial reporting might be recognized and factors which might prevent or delay such a juncture being realized. Design/methodology/approach - – The paper uses the theoretical conceptualization of the territorializing, mediating, adjudicating and subjectivizing roles of accounting (Miller and Power, 2013), linked to document analysis and interviews with members of the relevant policy communities. In technical terms, austerity makes accounting subject to greater demands for consistency and uniformity. In political terms, accounting is implicated in increasing external fiscal surveillance of sovereign states. Findings - – The authors have shown how the Miller-Power framework illuminates these developments. The territorializing role of accounting in sovereign states creates an environment which facilitates the mediating, adjudicating and subjectivizing roles. Austerity promotes re-territorializing, yet also creates incentives for governments to hide risks and guarantees: the comparability of financial reports and national accounts may be achieved only at a rhetorical level. Evidence for a critical juncture would be termination of national traditions of financial reporting, greater harmonization of accounting across tiers of government, weakening of the linkages to private sector accounting, and stronger alignment of government financial reporting with statistical accounting. Originality/value - – The paper provides a theoretically based analysis of how austerity influences government financial reporting and statistical accounting and brings them into closer contact. This analysis is located within broader tensions between technocracy and democracy that are institutionalized in EU fiscal surveillance.

Suggested Citation

  • David Heald & Ron Hodges, 2015. "Will “austerity” be a critical juncture in European public sector financial reporting?," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 28(6), pages 993-1015, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:eme:aaajpp:v:28:y:2015:i:6:p:993-1015
    DOI: 10.1108/AAAJ-04-2014-1661
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. David Heald & Ron Hodges, 2018. "Accounting for government guarantees: perspectives on fiscal transparency from four modes of accounting," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(7), pages 782-804, November.
    2. Imeda Tsindeliani & Sebastian Kot & Evgeniya Vasilyeva & Levon Narinyan, 2019. "Tax System of the Russian Federation: Current State and Steps towards Financial Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-18, December.
    3. Cecilia Langella & Niccol? Persiani, 2022. "Il sistema delle procedure amministrativo-contabili della GSA: il caso di Regione Lombardia e Regione Veneto," MECOSAN, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2022(122), pages 59-84.
    4. Davide Eltrudis, 2022. "On the Financial Autonomy of European Local Governments: The Case of Municipal Bonds in Italy," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(1), pages 226-242.
    5. María Deseada López Subires & Laura Alcaide Muñoz & Andrés Navarro Galera & Manuel Pedro Rodríguez Bolívar, 2019. "The Influence of Socio-Demographic Factors on Financial Sustainability of Public Services: A Comparative Analysis in Regional Governments and Local Governments," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-18, October.
    6. Céline Du Boys & Emanuele Padovani, 2016. "Local Reactions To The Financial Crisis: What Influence Of National Context Vs Individual Strategies?," Post-Print hal-01470232, HAL.
    7. Heald, David & Steel, David, 2018. "The governance of public bodies in times of austerity," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 149-160.

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