Extinction of central and local government accounting education: Self-reinforcing institutional processes—a Norwegian warning

Abstract

IMPACT The increasing disconnect between academia and central and local government accounting (CLGA) practices have significant implications for the quality of public sector accounting (PSA) especially for preparers as well as users of governmental accounting reports. Particularly transparency and understandability of accounting are at stake. The extinction of CLGA education at higher education institutions (HEIs) will deprive public sector organizations of the opportunity to hire graduates who are knowledgeable about the peculiarities of the public sector. This article shows how the negative self-reinforcing processes that increase the decoupling of academia from accounting practice can be reversed by rethinking the way academia collaborates with practitioners. Policy-makers and public sector managers should encourage HEIs to establish innovative competence improvement courses in PSA and increase the number of public sector PhDs. Specifically, digital micro-courses that can be offered to identify problems and propose solutions related to central and local government accounting can be a tool to reduce the practice–academia disconnect.