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Accounting, regulation and profitability: The case of PFI hospital refinancing

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  • Toms, Steven
  • Beck, Matthias
  • Asenova, Darinka

Abstract

The refinancing of PFI (Private Finance Initiative) projects represents one of the most contentious aspects of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the UK. The negative publicity associated with UK PFI refinancing deals is associated with several factors, including, evidence of massive private sector profit making, the failure of private sector financiers to share refinancing profits and, lastly, private sector frustration of adequate regulatory intervention in this area. Utilising a dynamic model of capital market and state interaction, this paper explains these outcomes as a function of effective private sector lobbying of bureaucratic state agencies to alter the structure of accounting, accountability and regulation with the goal of securing favourable profit and risk outcomes. These dynamics are illustrated with reference to the history of UK PFI refinancing and a case study of one of the projects where these gains reached extreme levels.

Suggested Citation

  • Toms, Steven & Beck, Matthias & Asenova, Darinka, 2011. "Accounting, regulation and profitability: The case of PFI hospital refinancing," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 22(7), pages 668-681.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:crpeac:v:22:y:2011:i:7:p:668-681
    DOI: 10.1016/j.cpa.2011.01.010
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    3. Jing Du & Hongyue Wu & Xianbo Zhao, 2018. "Critical Factors on the Capital Structure of Public–Private Partnership Projects: A Sustainability Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-27, June.
    4. Morales, Jérémy & Sponem, Samuel, 2017. "You too can have a critical perspective! 25 years of Critical Perspectives on Accounting," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 149-166.
    5. Horacio Ortiz, 2022. "Political Imaginaries of the Weighted Average Cost of Capital: A Conceptual Analysis," Post-Print halshs-03513082, HAL.
    6. Cooper, Christine, 2015. "Accounting for the fictitious: A Marxist contribution to understanding accounting's roles in the financial crisis," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 63-82.
    7. Cuthbert, J.R. & Cuthbert, M., 2012. "Why IRR is an inadequate indicator of costs and returns in relation to PFI schemes," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 23(6), pages 420-433.

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