New development: Importance of accounts receivable in Colombian state entities and their impact on the preparation of financial information

The article shows the importance of accounts receivable in the financial structure of state entities (purely government entities and state companies), and the challenge of standardizing accounting policies in order to prepare a national consolidated balance sheet. The focus is on Colombia. The research is qualitative, based on an analytical link between the nature of state entities, liquidity management and measurement in the preparation of financial information. Evidence is provided about the opportunities and limitations of the accounting regulation frameworks established for the public sector in Colombia. The author identifies future fields of research on public sector accounting and its role in accountability.This paper shows, using the case of accounts receivable in Colombia, the challenges in preparing a national balance sheet, due to variations in accounting policies and the presentation of financial information by different levels of government, such as purely government entities and state companies. The paper draws out implications for practice based on the recent implementation of international standards in Latin America, such as estimates of the impairment of accounts receivable under the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).