Some like it non-financial... Politicians’ and managers’ views on the importance of accounting information

The modernization of the public sector translated into the adoption of new accounting techniques, such as accruals accounting and non-financial performance measurement systems, in addition to the traditional system of budgetary accounting. The purpose of the paper is to test some hypotheses on the different perceptions of politicians and managers as to the importance of accounting information. Our findings suggest that the importance attached to accounting information by politicians and managers is more similar than expected. They also show that the accounting innovations are in some cases embraced with enthusiasm (non-financial performance), whereas in others find difficult recognition (accruals accounting).