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Financial Accounting Reform in Flemish Municipalities: An Empirical Investigation
Author(s) -
Christiaens Johan
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
financial accountability and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.661
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1468-0408
pISSN - 0267-4424
DOI - 10.1111/1468-0408.00072
Subject(s) - accounting , flemish , accrual , business , transferability , accounting information system , financial accounting , fund accounting , positive accounting , accounting standard , benchmarking , finance , economics , incentive , earnings , archaeology , marketing , microeconomics , history
This paper examines the cross‐sectional differences in the level of adoption and implementation of the financial accounting reform in Flemish municipalities. For the first time ever in Belgian governments a cash‐based budgetary accounting system is obligatorily being supplemented by an accrual accounting system. This study is based on an empirical analysis of municipal accounting practices and annual accounts 1995 in Flanders. The findings indicate that municipalities are coping with a lot of problems regarding transferability of business accounting and the study reveals significant factors explaining the level of compliance with the reformed accounting regulations.