New Accounting and Management challenges for Public Entities require a continuous introduction of innovations and reforms in accordance with new international trends, techniques and experiences. In order to carry this out, extensive knowledge of Innovations in Government Accounting and Reporting, International Standards, Performance Evaluation Developments and relevant national experiences will without doubt be indispensable.
The purpose of this book is to present an updated overview of the most useful and innovative International Experiences in Governmental Accounting, Reporting and Control. The content of the volume is the result of high-quality contributions from prestigious researchers and public sector professionals, presenting a perspective on the current state and foreseeable evolution of International Government Accounting.
The book is primarily aimed at public sector managers, accountants and researchers, although financial analysts, administrators, auditors, and graduate students will also find it highly relevant.

The current degradation of sovereign balance sheets raises very real concerns about how sovereign creditworthiness is measured by credit rating agencies. Given the disastrous economic and social effects of any downgrade, the book offers an alternative and calls for more transparency about the quantitative measures used in calibrating the rating process and how sovereign ratings are validated. It argues that oversight is required and procedures improved, including subjecting methodologies of assessing default to more standardization and monitoring. Sovereign Credit Rating explains the process of sovereign creditworthiness assessment and explores the consequences of possible inaccuracies in the process. Developing an innovative new methodology to assess ratings accuracy, it shows that the announcement of each rating action by the major credit rating agencies show alarming inconsistencies. Written by an internationally recognized author and professor, this unique book will be of interest to researchers and advanced students in corporate governance, accounting, public finance and regulation.

Luigi Einaudi (1874-1961) was a leading liberal economist, economic historian and political figure. This book provides the English-speaking world with a first critical edition of Einaudi's - hitherto unpublished - rewriting of one of his most unique and thoughtful essays. The relevance of this essay is crucial from several perspectives: history and methodology of economic thought, role of economics and its relation to other disciplines and to social values, role of economists in the public sphere, while also encompassing the discourse on man and the economist as a "whole man". The critical edition of On Abstract and Historical Hypotheses and on Value Judgments in Economic Sciences includes a comprehensive introduction and afterword. An extensive reappraisal of this newly discovered essay will help to cast light on Einaudi's uniqueness and originality within and beyond the Italian tradition in public finance, thereby also illuminating his attempt to provide an epistemological account of his long lasting enquiry into the causes of good and bad polities. This book is of great interest to those who study economic theory and philosophy, as well as history of economic thought, public economics and legal and political philosophy.

Since 2008, the world has experienced an enormous decrease of wealth. By many measures the impact of the crisis was severe. The fall in GDP, the collapse of world trade, the rise in unemployment, and the credit slump reached bigger proportions than in any other crisis since World War II. Although the economic figures seem to improve in some countries, the crisis continues being a challenging issue and is said to be one of the most important problems governments face today. The crisis has put public finances under ever increasing pressure, and governments have responded through austerity measures such as new fiscal rules and budgeting procedures and cutbacks of public spending. Public Management in Times of Austerity seeks to explore the austerity policies adopted by European governments and their consequences to public management. It asks how governments have implemented new rules leading to more stringency in public budgeting and financial management, and how they have cut back public expenditure. These questions are examined comparatively through case studies in different parts of Europe, and variations across countries are discussed and explained. Throughout the volume, the consequences of the crisis and austerity policies for public management are discussed. What is the relationship between crisis and decision-making in the public sector, and how does austerity affect public-sector organisation? As the previous crisis in the 1970s resulted in a major reform movement, which was later referred to as New Public Management, Public Management in Times of Austerity look to understand whether the current crisis also leads to a wave of public management reform, and if so what is the content of this?

Accessibly covers public financial management and accounting for non-specialists Covers latest developments in post-crisis public sector management Addition of material on developing countries and more global content Includes discussion questions and a wealth of case studies for seminar use Practice-focused and ideal for public sector managers in higher and further education

Managerial cost accounting is the financial and managerial tool that is used to estimate the organizational cost of products and services in business and government. In recent decades, cost accounting in the United States and other advanced industrial countries has been dominated by discussions of Activity Based Costing or ABC. While ABC can be shown to produce a more accurate estimate of cost than older and more basic types of cost accounting, ABC is not used extensively in many governments. We argue that this recent focus on ABC has stifled examination and discussion of how government cost accounting is being used and how it could be used in practice. The study of cost accounting practice reveals an important and underexplored area of financial management in government. Given the scandals that cost accounting estimates can create and that different types of cost accounting can create different estimates of cost it may be reasonable to ask whether the cost accounting exercise is worth it? Cost Accounting in Government: Theory and Applications addresses these unusual and unusually important topics through a series of studies of different government cost accounting practices. The first section of the book presents two chapters on the history and basic elements of cost accounting. The second section of the book provides further discussion and case studies of actual cost accounting practices in the main areas that cost accounting has been used in government: benchmarking the performance of government services, rate setting, grant overhead cost recovery, and cost management. The last two chapters discuss cost accounting practices in Europe and the future of cost accounting. These cases span local and federal governments and provide a much needed context to the study of cost accounting in government. Aimed at academics, researchers and policy makers in the fields of Accounting, Public Administration, and Government Studies, Cost Accounting in Government: Theory and Applications seeks to address the practical and theoretical gap in government cost accounting research with case studies of different public agencies that are using cost accounting for different purposes. The case studies illustrate that different purposes for cost accounting create unique and interesting cost accounting practices. The case studies provide useful examples of actual cost accounting systems that can inform both research and instruction

Originally published in 1997. This study investigates what the effects of real exchange rate volatility are on sectorial investment in the fixed and flexible exchange rate systems. It lays out the results of research into the effects of the levels and volatility of real exchange rates on investment in the manufacturing sectors of the countries in the European Monetary System as well as of the countries in the flexible exchange rate system, with data from between 1973 and 1993. Examining the differences between the two systems in the results this book also looks at exchange rate effects on interest rates at the time.

This book demonstrates the importance of understanding how political rhetoric, financial reporting and media coverage of austerity in transnational contexts is significant to the communicative, social and economic environments in which we live. It considers how aspects of moral storytelling, language, representation and ideology operate through societies in financial crisis and through governments that impose austerity programmes on public spending. Whilst many of the debates covered here are concerned with UK economic policy and British social contexts, the contributions also consider examples from other countries that reflect similar concerns on the ideological operations of austerity and financial discourse. The multiple discursive contexts of austerity demonstrate the breadth of social concerns and conflicts that have developed in societies and institutions following the global economic crisis of 2008. Through its interdisciplinary focus on this topic, this book provides an important contribution across multiple subject areas, with shared interests in critical and analytical approaches to discourse, power and language in social contexts reflecting the healthy collaborative scope of critical discourse studies as a field of research. This book was originally published as a special issue of Critical Discourse Studies.

Originally published in 1994, International Developments in Assuring Quality in Higher Education describes a range of national and international developments which evaluate the quality of education provided by public and private tertiary institutions. The book is based on papers from a conference organized by the International Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education, and held in Montreal in 1993. Regional perspectives from Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America, North America and Western Europe are followed by an account of national quality assurance agencies in Chile, Denmark, Korea, New Zealand, South Africa, Quebec, Romania, Scotland and the USA. There are also chapters on the work of UNESCO and the World Bank in promoting quality in higher education in industrialising nations. Together these papers supplement the account of international initiatives.

The Conservative's privatisation programme was one of the most ambitious aspects of their attempt to redraft the political and economic map of the United Kingdom. Originally published in 1988, this book explores the processes of privatisation from a variety of standpoints. Its contributors include academics, enterprise executives and government officials, many of whom had been closely involved in the programme. Fiscal, legal and social aspects of privatisation are explored but the book treats the subject as more than an immediate political issue and takes the opportunity to discuss the success - or otherwise - of public enterprise and to explore the implication of the UK experience for other countries which have an interest in privatisation.

Originally published in 1926. This book explains clearly the depreciation of the franc, the return to the gold standard and dollar parity, inflation and deflation, the stabilization of the mark and its effects; and the connexion between exchange rates and prices. It describes the transfer of money abroad, bank credits, the various methods in which documentary bills are dealt with and foreign currencies exchanged. Based on the author's practical experience of finance, it incorporates economic research and contains a concise statement of Britain's debt to America, the Dawes Reparation Plan, and the debt settlements with France and Italy.

Originally published in 1995, The Business of Higher Education focuses on innovation in student financial services. It looks at the area of banking function as a tool for colleges and universities, and how this can be used to meet the market demand for new services. It also addresses how this can be used to balance the financial aid budget. The book documents just how much each colleges and universities have changed over the last decade and how each has changed given that market forces increasingly shape institutional aspirations.

Pulls together variables recognized by academic scholars and practitioners as important for conducting performance budgeting and integrates these factors into a holistic model of improved theoretical logic. Engages a multi-methodological approach to provide an empirical foundation for the framework developed. Contains case studies from around the US, and will appeal to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries such as Latin America, China, South Korea, Taiwan and numerous developing countries in Asia.

Originally published in 1972. This book covers the broader aspects of foreign exchange, for businessmen, to remove a hazardous gap in executive knowledge. The language is non-technical and the author gives an insight into the workings of the international currency markets which will enable business-men to operate more easily and be more profitable in this field.

Originally published in 1982. This book deals with exchange-rate determination and the implications of floating rate regimes for the time paths of prices and quantities. It develops a class of stochastic equilibrium models of the open economy operating under flexible exchange rates, assuming that agents are endowed with rational expectations but do not possess full current information as to the state of the world. Chapters look at a model's response to economic disturbances, the effect on non-traded goods, and cyclical variations of the terms of trade. The final chapter considers a model to investigate purchasing parity issues.

Using a variety of theoretical frameworks drawn from the social sciences, the contributions in this edited collection offer a critical perspective on the dominant paradigms used in contemporary financial activities. Through a detailed study of the organisation and functioning of financial intermediaries and institutions, the contributors to this volume analyse 'finance in the making', by shedding light on the structuring of banking and financial systems, on their capacity to prescribe action and control, on their modes of regulation and, more generally, on the process of financialisation. Contributions presented in this volume have been written by authors working within the 'social studies of finance' tradition, a research programme that emerged twenty years ago, with the aim of addressing a diversity of financial fieldworks and related theoretical questions. This book, therefore, sheds light on different areas that are representative of contemporary financial realities. Specifically, it first studies the work of financial employees: traders, salespeople, investment managers, financial analysts, investment consultants, etc. but also provides an analysis of a range of financial instruments: financial schemes and contracts, financial derivatives, socially responsible investment funds, as well as market rules and regulations. Finally, it puts into perspective the organisations contributing to this financial reality: those developing and selling financial services (retail banks, brokerage houses, asset management firms, private equity firms, etc.), and also those contributing to the regulation of such activities (banking regulators, financial market authorities, credit rating agencies, the State, to name a few). Each text can be read without any specific knowledge of finance; the book is thus addressed to anyone willing to better understand the intricacies of contemporary financial realities.

Fiscal policy has always been a primary measure of macroeconomic control. The fiscal revenue and expenditure can influence the operation of the whole economic and social activities by changing the existing GDP distribution pattern, affecting the consumption and investment of enterprises and people, etc. Within the framework of macroeconomic analysis, this book reviews the evolution of China's fiscal policy, and the main changes China's economy has experienced since 1990s. To begin with, it makes an empirical research of China's national debts, including their relationship with macroeconomic regulation and total social demand. Besides, it examines the economic effect mechanism of national debts issuance. Then it focuses on the taxation issues, elucidating the sources of tax revenue growth and the judgments on tax burden. The issue of tax reduction is also covered, especially its complexity in China. Lastly, it provides insights into China's fiscal tendency, changes of macroeconomic policies, and financial operation in the context of the "New Normal". Scholars and students in economics, finance and Chinese economic studies will be attracted by this book. Also, it will appeal to readers interested in modern Chinese economic history.

Originally published in 1923. This book describes the working of the exchanges, and explains post-war fluctuations. It describes bills, documentary and blank credits, the mechanism of exchange trading and money market; and explains inflation, floating debts, purchasing power parity, international indebtedness and stabilisation.

Originally published in 1984. This book examines two important dimensions of efficiency in the foreign exchange market using econometric techniques. It responds to the macroeconomics trend to re-examining the theories of exchange rate determination following the erratic behaviour of exchange rates in the late 1970s. In particular the text looks at the relation between spot and forward exchange rates and the term structure of the forward premium, both of which require a joint test of market efficiency and the equilibrium model. Approaches used are the regression of spot rates on lagged forward rates and an explicit time series analysis of the spot and forward rates, using data from Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany.

Now in its third edition, Cost-Benefit Analysis has been updated, offering readers the perfect introduction to project, programme and policy appraisal using basic tools of financial and economic analysis. The key economic questions of any social cost-benefit analysis are: do the benefits of the project or policy exceed the costs, no matter how widely costs and benefits are spread, and irrespective of whether or not project impacts, such as environmental effects, are reflected in market prices? And which group or groups of individuals receive the benefits and which bear the costs? This book addresses these questions with an emphasis on putting the theory presented in the book into practice. This third edition has several attractive features: Readers are encouraged to develop their own skills by applying the tools and techniques of cost-benefit analysis to case studies and examples, including an analysis of a project which is developed throughout the book. The book emphasizes the use of spreadsheets which are invaluable in providing a framework for the cost-benefit analysis. A dedicated chapter provides guidance for writing up a report which summarises the analysis which has been undertaken. New pedagogical features, including Technical Notes and Examples, have been added as an aid to readers throughout the text. An appendix provides 14 additional case studies which can be developed in class or as assignment projects. Additional material for instructors and students is provided through Support Material maintained by Routledge. This updated edition is an ideal text for a course on cost-benefit analysis where the emphasis is on practical application of principles and equipping students to conduct appraisals. It is also a useful handbook for professionals looking for a logical framework in which to undertake their cost-benefit analysis work.

Public Sector Accounting uses an integrated approach to the study of public sector accounting by linking accounting theory and practice for each of the main areas of financial accounting, management accounting and auditing. Examples from a range of Public Sector experiences are woven into the text to illustrate the issues involved. The introduction of the book reflects managerial developments in the public sector, by giving a brief history of these in the UK and internationally then commenting on the adoption of quality assurance in the public sector. The management accounting section discusses developments in the use of internal markets and compulsory competition and the more recent emphasis on public-private partnership and performance indicators and also explains the techniques of programme and zero-based budgeting and investment appraisal. The financial accounting section updates and internationalises the discussion of financial accounting theory and regulation. The final section of the book is on auditing has been updated with UK and international developments.

Islamic Macroeconomics proposes an Islamic model that offers significant prospects for economic growth and durable macroeconomic stability, and which is immune to the defects of the economic models prevailing both in developed and developing countries. An Islamic model advocates a limited government confined to its natural duties of defence, justice, education, health, infrastructure, regulation, and welfare of the vulnerable population. It prohibits interest-based debt and money, and requires full liberalization of all markets including labor, financial, commodity, trade, and foreign exchange markets. The government should be Sharia-compliant in its taxation power and regulatory intervention; it ought to reduce unproductive spending in favor of productive spending. This book is essential reading for students and academics of Islamic economics and finance, economists, practitioners, and researchers.

Following the 2008 "global" financial crisis, the viability of globalised financial capitalism was called into question. The resulting fear and uncertainty produced a momentary return to "Keynesian" policies. But as soon as emergency stimuli - and bank bail-outs - appeared to stabilise the situation, there was a sharp reversal; and successive British governments and the financial sector have since attempted to return to business as usual. Historically, much smaller shocks have been able to produce dramatic change, with the 1978 "Winter of Discontent" providing a catalyst for the election of Margaret Thatcher, the ultimate abandonment of the post-war Keynesian consensus, and the ushering-in of neoliberalism. Nor is apparent success a guarantee against change, with Winston Churchill being swept from office by the first majority Labour government in 1945 - at a point which should have marked his greatest triumph. In this book, these apparently inexplicable shifts in the conventional wisdom and the accompanying policy paradigm are explored through the lens of the interest groups that have jostled for position since the second industrial revolution. In this context, inequality, poverty, free market capitalism and the social welfare state have interacted in an uneasy, dynamic dance - the "insecurity cycle". The authors explore these interactions, their impact on the relationship between society and the economy, and the possible implications of Brexit and a re-energised political left. Written in an engaging and accessible style, Labour, Finance and Inequality will be a key resource for academics and students of social and political economics as well as public policy. It will also offer considerable insight to policy makers and a more general non-specialist audience.

Coalitions of consumer groups, NGOs, and trade unions have traditionally been considered politically weak compared to well-organized and resourceful financial sector groups which dominate or "capture" financial regulatory decisions. However, following the 2008 financial crisis, civil society groups have been seen to exert much more influence, with politicians successfully implementing financial reform in spite of industry opposition. Drawing on literature from social movement research and regulatory politics, this book shows how diffuse interests were represented in financial regulatory overhauls in both the United States (US) and the European Union (EU). Four cases of reform in the post-crisis regulatory context are analyzed: the creation of a new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in the US; the introduction of new consumer protection regulations through EU directives; the failure of attempts to introduce a financial transaction tax in the US; and the agreement of 11 EU member states to introduce such a tax. It shows how building coalitions with important elite allies outside and inside government helped traditionally weak interest groups transcend a lack of material resources to influence and shape regulatory policy. By engaging with a less well-known side of the debate, it explains how business power was curbed and diverse interests translated into financial regulatory policy.

With twenty-one years' experience in the investment bond business, Raymond uses his experience in this study to demonstrate the key issues related to state, county, municipal and district bonds through the use of the most recent data of the time. Originally published in 1923, this version was republished in 1936 to ensure that all figures and arguments were up-to-date. This title will be of interest to students of Business, Economics and Finance.