Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine and compare the views of mayors and comptrollers of Catalan municipalities on aspects related to the Spanish legislation on financial sustainability – its usefulness and necessity of maintaining, its impact on citizens’ welfare and alternative...

The paper aims to examine earnings management practices in local governments, focusing on two Mediterranean countries, namely Greece and Italy that have comparable administration systems. According to public choice theory, the conflicting interests between politicians who pursue re-election and...