Managing Finances and Accountability in the Public Sector (Paperback)

The financial management and accountability of public services has received increasing attention over recent decades. This greater visibility, allied to the demand for improved financial management, stems from a number of concerns, notably the need to modernize public services to improve their effectiveness, plus the growing concern that publicly funded services - provided by a greater range of organizations from the public, private and voluntary sectors - should be made more accountable.Financial management is now an integral part of the work of a public service manager. The successful manager must be able to: understand the financial environment and how public services are funded; contribute to strategic and short term budgets; recognize appropriate costing techniques, their relevance and application; and, compare and investigate service costs. The integration of academic discussion of issues and the practical application in this book is demanding but necessary, and enables readers to develop both critical awareness and skills in financial management. The former provides the necessary academic rigour for study at graduate level whilst the latter is part of an essential toolkit for the twenty-first century manager.