Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to look at the adoption of double entry bookkeeping at the Royal Treasury, Portugal, on its establishment in 1761 and the factors contributing to this development. The Royal Treasury was the first central government organization in Portugal to adopt...

This study of the interrelations of accounting and the State portrays accounting as a technology of government to effectively enact 'practical action' [Snook, S. A. (2000) <italic>Friendly Fire: The Accidental Shootdown of U.S. Black Hawks over Northern Iraq</italic> (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press)]...