Contents -- Preface -- Introduction -- Evolution -- Recent Changes -- Objectives of Control -- Range of Process Controls -- From Fund Controls to Global Budgets -- From Cash Limits to Cash Management -- Policy Reviews -- Evaluation -- From Financial to Efficiency Audit -- Involvement of the Users -- Institutional Development -- 1 Payments Systems -- Payment Stages -- Release of Funds and Organizing Payments -- Commitment Stage -- Types of Payments Systems -- Method of Payment -- Security of Payments -- Relations with the Banking System -- Commercial Banking -- Financial Reporting -- Interenterprise Arrears -- 2 Morphology of Government Accounting -- Commercial and Government Accounting -- Single- and Double-Entry Bookkeeping -- Cash and Accrual -- Terms and Definitions -- Why Accrual Now? -- Budget and Accounts -- Dimensions of the Issue -- General Ledger System -- Government Accounts and National Income Accounts -- Generational Accounts -- 3 Cost Measurement, Accounting Standards, and Other Issues -- Commercial Practices -- Government Approaches -- Relevance of Commercial Practices -- Capital Charge -- Foreign Aid Accounts -- Accounting Aspects of Privatization -- Accounting and Performance Indicators -- Other Issues -- Accounting Standards -- 4 Liability Management -- Payables -- Other Funded Liabilities -- Contingent Liabilities -- Unfunded Liabilities -- Legislated Guarantees -- Liabilities from Legislative Changes -- Hidden Liabilities -- Termination of Contracts -- Environmental Liabilities -- Market Failure Liabilities -- Debt Management -- Developments -- Continuing Objectives -- Organization -- Role of Accounting 125 -- 5 Architecture of Government Financial Information -- Importance of Financial Information -- Public and Private Sectors Compared -- Principles of Reporting -- Legitimacy -- Understandability -- Reliability -- Relevance.

Comparability -- Timeliness -- Consistency -- Usefulness -- Existing Information Systems -- Search for User Needs -- Information Pyramid -- Analytical Framework of Financial Reporting -- Purpose, Form, and Frequency -- Changes -- Departmental Report -- Annual Appropriation Accounts -- Users Within the Government -- Issues in Transforming Financial Information -- Design Issues -- Operational Issues -- 6 Investing in Development: Implementation -- Design of Development -- Implementation Lessons and Dilemmas -- Political Support -- Integrated or Specific Reform -- Public Sector Reform or Financial Management Reform -- Imperatives of Technology or High-Tech Dependency -- "Big Bang" or Gradualism -- External Assistance or Internal Resources -- Operational Issues -- Steps Toward Improvement -- Bibliography -- Tables -- Diagrams.