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How Can Accrual Accounting Be Suitable for the Public Sector? The Possible Determinants of the Successful Reforms

In: Digitalization in Finance and Accounting

Author

Listed:
  • Balázs Tóth

    (University of Szeged, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Institute of Finance and International Economic Relations)

Abstract

From the late 1970s, the demand for wider public sector reforms has increased. These reforms aim to make the public sector more efficient and make the policymakers more accountable for their decisions. The role and the method of accounting became one of the most debated parts of the new concept of the public sector. Most of the governments reformed their accounting and budgeting systems less or more. The most significant trend is the adoption of accrual accounting into the public sector; however, the suitability of the accruals is disputed. The adoption of accrual accounting resulted in diverse outcomes in different countries. The aim of this chapter is to find the reasons for the divergence of the results and identify the main determinants of successful adoption and operation. The examined studies highlight that the introduction of accrual accounting has a wide range of outcomes. The data created by the new accounting systems are usually unexploited. The result of the reforms is influenced by the training of the accountants, the development of the previous accounting system, and the quality of the IT systems, but other factors can have a significant impact, too.

Suggested Citation

  • Balázs Tóth, 2021. "How Can Accrual Accounting Be Suitable for the Public Sector? The Possible Determinants of the Successful Reforms," Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics, in: David Procházka (ed.), Digitalization in Finance and Accounting, pages 243-253, Springer.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:prbchp:978-3-030-55277-0_22
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-55277-0_22
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