Governmental Accounting in Spain and the European Monetary Union: A Critical Perspective

During the last twenty-five years, the changes in Spanish accounting have been radical and significant, especially since 1986 when Spain joined the European Union. Those changes were first introduced in business accounting, following the patterns of the Fourth Directive, but governmental accounting has also been affected by structural reforms that have modified the financial reporting system, the accounting standards and the accounting principles to be applied. However, the governmental accounting system needs further improvement, particularly given the EMU framework and the relationship between governmental accounting and national accounting.     

论我国政府财务会计信息质量特征

政府财务会计作为政府会计的重要组成部分,其职能主要是对外提供满足各利益相关者进行决策所需的会计信息,从而解除政府的受托责任。作为对外会计,其所提供的产品即会计信息必须严格遵循相关准则制度的要求,并符合相应的质量标准。本文认为政府财务会计信息质量特征具有多维性,首先受成本收益的约束,只有在成本小于收益的前提下提供会计信息才是可行的,提供的所有信息从总体上要求具有可理解性,在内容上要满足可靠性和相关性,在会计信息的口径和方法上应遵循可比性,同时应保持一定程度的谨慎性,而在信息的取舍上主要取决于重要性特征。     

论绩效评价导向政府会计体系的构建

政府公共受托责任解除的根本途径是政府绩效信息的全面披露,但定量信息的缺乏制约了政府绩效评价理论与实务的发展。会计作为货币化的经济信息系统,具备提供定量信息的天生优势,本应为政府绩效评价提供数据支持。但现有的政府会计体系在绩效评价支持方面并未发挥出应有作用。因此,有必要以绩效评价为导向构建政府会计体系。     

政府会计环境与政府会计改革研究:回顾和展望

影响政府会计改革的环境因素问题是“政府会计国际比较研究”(CIGAR)中的重要命题。政府会计环境的变化是政府会计改革的动因,并且能有效地评价政府会计改革的可行性和可操作性。本文对这一领域相关研究文献进行归纳和分析,目的是勾勒出此类研究的框架,以明晰研究思路,更好地指导未来的研究。     

我国政府会计改革的若干问题

文章系统分析了当前我国市场经济环境和改革开放的新形势对政府会计改革提出的要求 ,重点探讨了我国政府职能的转换、公共财政体制的改革、政府收支分类科目的变化、政府绩效评价制度的建设以及政府监督的加强等与政府会计改革之间的内在关系 ,提出了当前加大我国政府会计准则研究的必要性和紧迫性。文章还介绍了政府会计标准方面的国际惯例和我国政府会计改革与国际协调的问题。最后 ,文章就如何推进我国政府会计改革提出了若干亟需研究的问题     

National Accounting, Government Budgeting and the Accounting Discipline

National accounting and government budgeting include two kinds of financial reporting that are not influenced by, but have an increasing influence on, the accounting discipline. The government budget has changed, over the last sixty years, from a financial statement that was recognisably part of the accounting discipline to one in which national accounting and government budgeting have the dominant influence. There were early attempts to reconcile national accounting and the discipline but these have largely disappeared. Although the three forms of accounting measure the same phenomena, each is different in fundamental ways, in terms of both relevance and reliability.     

会计制度变迁与政府治理结构

本文试图通过产权和交易成本理论范式来搭建政府治理结构理论框架,并以此框架来阐释我国改革开放二十多年来的会计制度变迁行为。会计制度变迁行为背后的逻辑关系是政府财政部门为了履行法律所赋予的职责,完善政府治理结构,明晰利益相关各方的产权关系而做的努力。会计准则和会计制度作为一种政府治理工具或手段,其经济后果是降低了政府的监管成本以及节约了企业的交易成本。     

关于加强我国政府会计理论研究的几个问题

文章系统分析了政府会计信息的需求和现行预算会计制度存在的主要问题 ,进而提出了加强我国政府会计理论研究的若干意见和建议 ,以期为推动我国预算会计制度改革和政府会计标准建设做好理论准备。     

政府会计概念框架结构研究

本文从基本理论上探讨政府会计概念框架应该回答的问题,从多个国家及国际组织公共部门会计概念框架的对比中寻找灵感,从企业会计概念框架中吸取养分,借助政府会计概念框架整体分析模型构建我国政府会计概念框架结构,试图为我国政府会计概念框架的建设提供有益的借鉴。     

财务精细化：政府会计改革的突破点之一

现阶段,我国政府会计改革已进入到了深水区,众多专家学者结合国内外的相关经验,提出了包括采用基金会计核算法,重视资产及负债的确认、计量、记录等应对措施。作为政府会计改革最急需解决的问题之一——政府资产及负债如何精确得确认、计量、记录,政府在日常管理服务过程中的业绩如何确认已成为政府会计改革过程中必须逾越的一道鸿沟。本文通过引企业财务精细化管理理念于政府财务管理过程中,并通过分析政府财务精细化管理中的关键点,结合A政府机关的探索实践,拟对我国政府会计改革提出探索性的应对措施。     

政府财务会计与预算会计的适度分离与协调:一种适合我国的改革路径

我国现有预算会计系统的局限性引发了理论界与实务界的改革诉求。理论研究者们希望通过引入西方国家的政府会计概念与企业会计中的应计制基础对我国现有预算会计系统进行改造,以便披露完整的政府财务状况与运营业绩等财务信息。然而,一味强调以政府会计取代预算会计,在政府会计系统中直接提高应计制运用的比重,又必将削弱会计系统的预算管理功能。本文借鉴了IPSAS第24号准则等规范的做法,分离并协调政府财务会计与预算会计系统,试图改变政府会计改革的两难局面。     

中国政府会计权责发生制改革论析

中国政府职能的转换、公共财政体制的改革和政府绩效评价制度的建设,对政府会计信息提出了更高的要求,政府会计权责发生制改革已势在必行。本文主要分析中国政府会计权责发生制改革的必要性、可行性、路径选择以及改革中的难点,并提出了推进政府会计权责发生制改革的对策建议。     

Towards a Theory of Cultural Influence on the Development of Accounting Systems Internationally

Research has shown that accounting follows different patterns in different parts of the world. There have been claims that national systems are determined by environmental factors. In this context, cultural factors have not been fully considered. This paper proposes four hypotheses on the relationship between identified cultural characteristics and the development of accounting systems, the regulation of the accounting profession and attitudes towards financial management and disclosure. The hypotheses are not operationalized, and empirical tests have not been carried out. They are proposed here as a first step in the development of a theory of cultural influence on the development of accounting systems.     

Govern(mentality) and Accounting: the Influence of Different Enlightenment Discourses in Two Spanish Cases (1761–1777)

New perspectives in accounting history have uncovered previously unattended relations between accounting and government. Earlier Foucauldian analyses of governments have not explained sufficiently the relations of accounting practices to governmental discourses in order to manage populations.
This work uses the governmentality frame to analyse the role of accounting in two organizations located in the south of Spain in the second half of the eighteenth century: the New Settlements of Sierra Morena and Andalucia (NSs) and the Royal Tobacco Factory of Seville (RTFS). The period studied is remarkable because it was the apogee of the Enlightenment in Spain. From the standpoint of government, this period facilitated a new way to manage populations. The present work has drawn on Foucault's concept of governmentality in order to discover how accounting worked in two government-supported organizations independently of the discourses that pervaded each one. Drawing on the reticulation of the space, the use of rules and accounting from the governmental perspective, we analyse those institutions.
The article concludes that the reticulation of space is an essential apparatus to exert action at a distance; the rules are a type of government technology; and, overall, accounting is a practice for the mastery of the population independently from the discourse of the institution.     

Accounting Reforms in China: Cultural Constraints on Implementation and Development

There is considerable theory and evidence to suggest that culture is an important environmental variable influencing the development of accounting systems internationally. According to the Hofstede (1980) and Gray (1988) cultural models, China's accounting development and practice should be in the cluster that supports statutory control, uniform practices, a conservative measurement approach and secrecy in disclosure. A uniform and rigid system of financial reporting has been practised for decades in the People's Republic of China under the centrally controlled economy. The accounting reforms launched since the 1980s aim to establish a new framework for regulating financial reporting which is adaptable to China's recently emerged socialist market economy. The adoption of accounting standards in the later phases of the reforms marks a dramatic turning point in China's accounting history towards a more international Anglo-Saxon orientation in financial reporting. Based on an analysis of the authority for accounting systems, the accounting profession and accounting measurement and disclosure in China, it is argued that this development will be constrained by the influence of China's culture and its accounting subculture. While financial reporting will be governed by accounting standards, their development and enforcement will remain a governmental and legalistic function. Accountants will continue to rely heavily on detailed technical rules. This mixed orientation will constitute China's unique national identity in terms of its accounting and financial reporting system.     

论改进我国政府会计与财务报告

政府会计与财务报告关系到政府向社会公众及其他各方提供的财务信息是否具有真实性、完整性和可靠性的问题。本文认为 ,政府会计作为反映政府财务活动的信息系统 ,应当根据我国政府的职能及政府财务活动的内容 ,全面、完整地反映政府财务活动情况及结果。随着我国预算管理体制改革、政府职能转换 ,政府会计与财务报告应当借鉴国际公共部门会计与财务报告的通常做法 ,吸收我国企业会计与财务报告改革的成功经验 ,进行改进和完善 ,并着重从政府会计名称、政府会计对象 (内容 )、政府会计模式、政府会计基础及政府财务报告等方面进行改革 ,真正建立具有中国特色、与国际公共部门会计可比的、科学规范的政府会计与财务报告体系 ,保证政府向社会公众提供的财务信息的真实性和完整性     

我国政府预算会计系统的构建研究

政府预算会计是我国未来政府会计系统中不可或缺的重要组成部分。如何厘清预算与预算会计之间的关系,构建符合我国实际环境的预算会计系统是我国政府会计改革亟待解决的重大问题。本文在研究我国政府利益相关者信息需求与相关制度因素影响的前提下,调整并整合我国现行的财政总预算会计与行政(事业)单位会计,提出了新预算会计系统构建的总体目标与具体路径。     

Preconditions for Successful Implementation of Accrual Accounting in Central Government

A number of national governments, including the UK, have successfully implemented a change to accrual accounting. But the change should not be regarded as an end in itself: it will not solve the problems that arise where inadequate cash accounting systems exist; it will not improve control or management where inadequate control and poor management exist; nor will it improve external audit or the legislature's control over the executive. Before this reform is introduced, cash accounting should be robust, control should be secure, external audit should be functioning well and the legislature should have an ability to call the executive to account. This article sets out preconditions that governments need to meet to ensure that the full benefits of accrual accounting are achieved.     

公共受托责任、政府会计边界与政府财务报告的理论定位

公共受托责任的复杂性与会计系统的固有缺陷决定了单一的会计系统难以满足公共受托责任多元化的信息需求。会计系统在公共领域是该保持固有属性并优化其功能,还是应扩展功能以满足公共领域复杂的信息需求,必须进行抉择。政府会计边界概念在考虑公共受托责任复杂性的前提下,运用成本效益分析,结合系统设计原理界定了政府会计功能选择的范围,并明确了政府财务报告的理论定位。     

GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING IN NORWAY: A DISCUSSION WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Accrual accounting is now being introduced in governmental organizations internationally. Some scholars have, however, questioned this development, implying that other accounting theories, like cameral accounting, should also be considered for use in these organizations. Since Norway is a country, which has not introduced accrual accounting in the governmental sector, the purpose of this paper is to study the evolution of governmental accounting in this country. Based on the Norwegian experiences, the paper aims to present some conclusions for the further international development of governmental accounting.