Abstract
Focusing on the four most recent and highly publicized accounting reforms in UK central government, and utilizing discourse analysis of official publications, together with semi‐structured interviews, this paper examines the basis on which these four reforms were introduced, the extent to which they are considered appropriate, and the reasons for the persistence of new public management (NPM)‐inspired accounting reforms in UK central government. The findings indicate that each was promoted in a similar manner despite limited post‐implementation evidence that the supposed benefits of preceding reforms had not been realized to the extent originally suggested. Given NPM's continued acceptance, these findings have international significance.
Highlights
Focusing on the four most recent and highly publicized accounting reforms in United Kingdom (UK) central government, and utilizing discourse analysis of official publications, together with semi-structured interviews, this paper examines the basis on which these four reforms were introduced, the extent to which they are considered appropriate, and the reasons for the persistence of new public management (NPM)inspired accounting reforms in UK central government
Efficiency is considered a key characteristic of NPM ideas (Lapsley, 1999) and these results suggest that the subsequent introduction of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and Clear Line of Sight Alignment Project (CLOS) was guided by an institutional rationality that emphasized their potential Efficiency benefits
By combining an analysis of official discourse on Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB), Whole of Government Accounts (WGA), IFRS, and CLOS with the post-implementation experiences of representatives from government departments and oversight bodies, together with academic advisors, this paper examines the basis on which these four reforms were introduced, the extent to which they are considered appropriate, and the reasons for the persistence of NPM-inspired accounting reforms in UK central government
Summary
Focusing on the four most recent and highly publicized accounting reforms in UK central government, and utilizing discourse analysis of official publications, together with semi-structured interviews, this paper examines the basis on which these four reforms were introduced, the extent to which they are considered appropriate, and the reasons for the persistence of new public management (NPM)inspired accounting reforms in UK central government. This paper focuses on the four most recent high-profile accounting reforms implemented in the UK’s central government to improve how the public and Parliament scrutinize the government’s use of public money and hold departments accountable for the financial decisions they make (HMT, 2019a) These are the introduction of Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) and Whole of Government Accounts (WGA), the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and the implementation of the Clear Line of Sight Alignment Project (CLOS). By exploring four reforms introduced over a period of time, each targeting different aspects of financial reporting introduced by a country that is cited as an active and early adopter of NPM ideas (Hood, 1995; Pollitt and Bouckaert, 2011), this paper enhances existing literature by developing our understanding of the pressures that cascade to organizations in an institutional field
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