IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/pubmmg/v36y2016i5p379-384.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

New development: Public sector controllership—reinventing the financial specialist as a countervailing power

Author

Listed:
  • Henk ter Bogt
  • Jan van Helden
  • Berend van der Kolk

Abstract

Different types of ‘controllers’ can be distinguished in the public sector. The authors’ research indicates that public sector controllers acknowledge the distinctive characteristics of ‘hybrid’ controllers, but question some of the possible advantages of ‘pure’ controllers. This result could signal a decreasing share of pure controllers and thus a loss of financial expertise in the public sector. This article calls for the controller to be ‘re-invented’ as a professional who combines solid financial expertise with an independent and critical attitude towards overly ambitious politicians and managers. The general public’s support for public sector organizations could be enhanced if strong controllers counterbalance the sometimes too optimistic views of managers and politicians.

Suggested Citation

  • Henk ter Bogt & Jan van Helden & Berend van der Kolk, 2016. "New development: Public sector controllership—reinventing the financial specialist as a countervailing power," Public Money & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(5), pages 379-384, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:pubmmg:v:36:y:2016:i:5:p:379-384
    DOI: 10.1080/09540962.2016.1194086
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/09540962.2016.1194086
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/09540962.2016.1194086?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ariela Caglio, 2003. "Enterprise Resource Planning systems and accountants: towards hybridization?," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(1), pages 123-153.
    2. John Burns & Gudrun Baldvinsdottir, 2005. "An institutional perspective of accountants' new roles - the interplay of contradictions and praxis," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(4), pages 725-757.
    3. Hopper, Trevor M., 1980. "Role conflicts of management accountants and their position within organisation structures," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 5(4), pages 401-411, October.
    4. Hood, Christopher, 1995. "The "new public management" in the 1980s: Variations on a theme," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 20(2-3), pages 93-109.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Heli Hookana, 2011. "Measurement of Effectiveness, Efficiency and Quality in Public Sector Services: Interventionist Empirical Investigations," MIC 2011: Managing Sustainability? Proceedings of the 12th International Conference, Portorož, 23–26 November 2011 [Selected Papers],, University of Primorska, Faculty of Management Koper.
    2. Robert Rieg, 2018. "Tasks, interaction and role perception of management accountants: evidence from Germany," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 29(2), pages 183-220, August.
    3. Dorthe Windeck & Jürgen Weber & Erik Strauss, 2015. "Enrolling managers to accept the business partner: the role of boundary objects," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 19(3), pages 617-653, August.
    4. Cătălin Albu & Nadia Albu & Robert Faff & Allan Hodgson, 2011. "Accounting Competencies and the Changing Role of Accountants in Emerging Economies: The Case of Romania," Accounting in Europe, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(2), pages 155-184.
    5. Goretzki, Lukas & Messner, Martin, 2019. "Backstage and frontstage interactions in management accountants' identity work," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 1-20.
    6. Anna-Maija Lantto, 2014. "Business Involvement in Accounting: A Case Study of International Financial Reporting Standards Adoption and the Work of Accountants," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(2), pages 335-356, June.
    7. Valentin Florentin Dumitru, 2011. "The Impact of Information Technologies on the Organization and Functioning of the Company," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 13(Special N), pages 754-770, November.
    8. Marc Bollecker, 2007. "Les Publications Europeennes Et Americaines Sur Les Contrôleurs De Gestion : Un Essai De Synthese," Post-Print halshs-00522301, HAL.
    9. Marie-Andrée Caron & Hugues Boisvert & Alexander Mersereau, 2008. "La Pratique Du Comptable Professionnel En Organisation : Inertie Du Stéréotype Ou Expérimenter L'Incertain?," Post-Print halshs-00522425, HAL.
    10. Jürgen Weber, 2011. "The development of controller tasks: explaining the nature of controllership and its changes," Metrika: International Journal for Theoretical and Applied Statistics, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 25-46, September.
    11. Lukas Goretzki, 2013. "Management accounting and the construction of the legitimate manager," Metrika: International Journal for Theoretical and Applied Statistics, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 319-344, February.
    12. Lukas Goretzki & Kari Lukka & Martin Messner, 2018. "Controllers’ use of informational tactics," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(6), pages 700-726, September.
    13. Ariela Caglio & Mara Cameran, 2017. "Is it Shameful to be an Accountant? GenMe Perception(s) of Accountants' Ethics," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 53(1), pages 1-27, March.
    14. Cătălin Nicolae Albu & Nadia Albu & Robert Faff & Allan Hodgson, 2008. "The Changing Role Of Accountants In A Transition Economy - Evidence From Romania," Annales Universitatis Apulensis Series Oeconomica, Faculty of Sciences, "1 Decembrie 1918" University, Alba Iulia, vol. 1(10), pages 1-5.
    15. Morales, Jérémy & Lambert, Caroline, 2013. "Dirty work and the construction of identity. An ethnographic study of management accounting practices," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 228-244.
    16. Bohumil Král & Grzegorz Mikołajewicz & Jarosław Nowicki & Libuše Šoljaková, 2021. "Management Accountants' Professional Competences: Requirements In the Czech Republic and Poland. The Normative Approach and Business Practice," Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, Mendel University Press, vol. 69(3), pages 379-393.
    17. Jérémy Morales, 2012. "Le projet professionnel des contrôleurs de gestion : analyser des données pour aider les managers à prendre des décisions rationnelles," Post-Print hal-00690934, HAL.
    18. Bo Karlsson & Monika Kurkkio & Anders Hersinger, 2019. "The role of the controller in strategic capital investment projects: bridging the gap of multiple topoi," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 23(3), pages 813-838, September.
    19. Marc Bollecker, 2010. "La Socialisation Des Contrôleurs De Gestion : L'Importance De La Compatibilite Des Cultures Professionnelles," Post-Print hal-00479525, HAL.
    20. Bo Karlsson & Anders Hersinger & Monika Kurkkio, 2019. "Hybrid accountants in the age of the business partner: exploring institutional drivers in a mining company," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 30(2), pages 185-211, July.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:pubmmg:v:36:y:2016:i:5:p:379-384. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/RPMM20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.