Globalization : Governmental Accounting and International Financial Reporting Standards

From the early 1990s, Australia and New Zealand pioneered the application of business-style accounting practices to all government activities. Today these business-style practices are advocated for governments around the world, either via International Financial Reporting Standards or via the similar International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). Although accounting might seem purely technical, accounting practices can carry with them significant constitutional and political (social) implications. Business-style accounting was not devised for governments and is not suited to provide the essential constitutional safeguards or to fulfil governments' public accountability obligations. These points are illustrated using evidence from New Zealand before explaining that today's IPSAS developments were led initially from New Zealand. This article urges those in other countries to consider constitutional and political implications before proceeding with this development