The Role of Public Sector Accountants in the Adoption of New Public Management Reforms in Public Sector Accountancy

Abstract

New Public Management reforms in public sector accountancy ,more specifically ,the Adoption of accrual basis IPSAS is considered a relevant improvement to the cash basis Of accounting since it enables comprehensive reporting on financial transactions of the Public sector .This study examines the roles of public sector accountants in the Adoption of accrual basis IPSAS in the public sector . Particularly, the study attempts to Provide the roles of public sector accountants in the accounting class of Ghana Civil Service under the Controller and Accountant General Department . The study employs the ethnographic qualitative research method to achieve the Objectives of the study .This method aids discovering meanings that public sector Accountants attribute to their lived experiences regarding their roles. Semi structured Interviews and observations were also used by the researcher . The study indicates that the current accounting model used in the Ghanaian public Sector is modified or cash basis. It finds that this method fails to generate General Purpose Financial Statements in accordance with the requirements of IPSAS thereby Necessitating the need for the adoption of accrual basis IPSAS. Following this, public Sector accountants under the accounting class have diverse roles to play to ensure the Adoption of IPSAS in the public sector . The study recommends that stakeholder groups such as accounting firms should be Engaged to facilitate the adoption of IPSAS and provide training programs for public Sector accountants. It also recommends that future studies should focus on the Involvement of external stakeholder groups such as accounting firms in the adoption of IPSAS in the public sector