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The Reckoning

The Reckoning PDF Author: Jacob Soll
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465036635
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 314

Book Description
A “brilliant” (Los Angeles Review of Books) history of accounting, showing how financial and political accountability has shaped the rise and fall of nations and empires Whether building a road or fighting a war, leaders from ancient Mesopotamia to the present have relied on financial accounting to track their state's assets and guide its policies. Basic accounting tools such as auditing and double-entry bookkeeping form the basis of modern capitalism and the nation-state. Yet our appreciation for accounting and its formative role throughout history remains minimal at best-and we remain ignorant at our peril. Poor or risky practices can shake, and even bring down, entire societies. In The Reckoning, historian and MacArthur "Genius" Award-winner Jacob Soll presents a sweeping history of accounting, drawing on a wealth of examples from over a millennia of human history to reveal how accounting has shaped kingdoms, empires, and entire civilizations. The Medici family of 15th century Florence used the double-entry method to win the loyalty of their clients, but eventually began to misrepresent their accounts, ultimately contributing to the economic decline of the Florentine state itself. In the 17th and 18th centuries, European rulers shunned honest accounting, understanding that accurate bookkeeping would constrain their spending and throw their legitimacy into question. And in fact, when King Louis XVI's director of finances published the crown's accounts in 1781, his revelations provoked a public outcry that helped to fuel the French Revolution. When transparent accounting finally took hold in the 19th Century, the practice helped England establish a global empire. But both inept and willfully misused accounting persist, as the catastrophic Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Great Recession of 2008 have made all too clear. A masterwork of economic and political history, and a radically new perspective on the recent past, The Reckoning compels us to see how accounting is an essential instrument of great institutions and nations-and one that, in our increasingly transparent and interconnected world, has never been more vital.

The Reckoning

The Reckoning PDF Author: Jacob Soll
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465036635
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 314

Book Description
A “brilliant” (Los Angeles Review of Books) history of accounting, showing how financial and political accountability has shaped the rise and fall of nations and empires Whether building a road or fighting a war, leaders from ancient Mesopotamia to the present have relied on financial accounting to track their state's assets and guide its policies. Basic accounting tools such as auditing and double-entry bookkeeping form the basis of modern capitalism and the nation-state. Yet our appreciation for accounting and its formative role throughout history remains minimal at best-and we remain ignorant at our peril. Poor or risky practices can shake, and even bring down, entire societies. In The Reckoning, historian and MacArthur "Genius" Award-winner Jacob Soll presents a sweeping history of accounting, drawing on a wealth of examples from over a millennia of human history to reveal how accounting has shaped kingdoms, empires, and entire civilizations. The Medici family of 15th century Florence used the double-entry method to win the loyalty of their clients, but eventually began to misrepresent their accounts, ultimately contributing to the economic decline of the Florentine state itself. In the 17th and 18th centuries, European rulers shunned honest accounting, understanding that accurate bookkeeping would constrain their spending and throw their legitimacy into question. And in fact, when King Louis XVI's director of finances published the crown's accounts in 1781, his revelations provoked a public outcry that helped to fuel the French Revolution. When transparent accounting finally took hold in the 19th Century, the practice helped England establish a global empire. But both inept and willfully misused accounting persist, as the catastrophic Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Great Recession of 2008 have made all too clear. A masterwork of economic and political history, and a radically new perspective on the recent past, The Reckoning compels us to see how accounting is an essential instrument of great institutions and nations-and one that, in our increasingly transparent and interconnected world, has never been more vital.

Accountability in the Economic and Monetary Union

Accountability in the Economic and Monetary Union PDF Author: Menelaos Markakis
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192583956
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 400

Book Description
Following the financial and public debt crisis, the EU's Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) has been under intense political scrutiny. The measures adopted in response to the crisis have granted additional powers to the EU (and national) authorities, the exercise of which can have massive implications for the economies of the Member States, financial institutions and, of course, citizens. The following questions arise: how can we hold accountable those institutions that are exercising power at the national and EU level? What is the appropriate level, type and degree of accountability and transparency that should be involved in the development of the EU's governance structures in the areas of fiscal and economic governance and the Banking Union? What is the role of parliaments and courts in holding those institutions accountable for the exercise of their duties? Is the revised EMU framework democratically legitimate? How can we bridge the gap between the citizens - and the institutions that represent them - and those institutions that are making these important decisions in the field of economic and monetary policy? This book principally examines the mechanisms for political and legal accountability in the EMU and the Banking Union. It examines the implications that the reforms of EU economic governance have had for the locus and strength of executive power in the Union, as well as the role of parliaments (and other political fora) and courts in holding the institutions acting in this area accountable for the exercise of their tasks. It further sets out several proposals regarding transparency, accountability, and legitimacy in the EMU.

Open Budgets

Open Budgets PDF Author: Sanjeev Khagram
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
ISBN: 0815723377
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 272

Book Description
Explicates political economy factors that have brought about greater transparency and participation in budget settings across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This title presents the strategies, policies, and institutions through which improvements can occur and produce change in policy and institutional outcomes.

New Accountability in Financial Services

New Accountability in Financial Services PDF Author: Joe McGrath
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030887154
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 234

Book Description
This book is a critical examination of recently introduced individual accountability regimes that apply to the financial services industry in the UK (SMCR) and Australia (BEAR and the forthcoming FAR), together with a forthcoming new individual accountability regime ( in particular, SEAR) in Ireland. It provides a framework for analysing whether these regimes will achieve behavioural change in the financial services industry. This book argues that, whilst sanctioning individuals to deter future misconduct is an important part of any successful regulatory strategy, the focus should be on ensuring that individuals in the financial services industry internalise the norms of behaviour expected under the new regimes. In this regard, the analysis in this book is informed by criminological theory, regulatory theory and behavioural science. The work also argues for a “trajectory towards professionalisation” of financial services, and banking in particular, as an important means of positively influencing industry-wide norms of behaviour, which have a key influence on firms’ and individuals’ behaviours.

Incentives to Pander

Incentives to Pander PDF Author: Nathan M. Jensen
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108311423
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 271

Book Description
Policies targeting individual companies for economic development incentives, such as tax holidays and abatements, are generally seen as inefficient, economically costly, and distortionary. Despite this evidence, politicians still choose to use these policies to claim credit for attracting investment. Thus, while fiscal incentives are economically inefficient, they pose an effective pandering strategy for politicians. Using original surveys of voters in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, as well as data on incentive use by politicians in the US, Vietnam and Russia, this book provides compelling evidence for the use of fiscal incentives for political gain and shows how such pandering appears to be associated with growing economic inequality. As national and subnational governments surrender valuable tax revenue to attract businesses in the vain hope of long-term economic growth, they are left with fiscal shortfalls that have been filled through regressive sales taxes, police fines and penalties, and cuts to public education.

Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government

Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government PDF Author: United States Government Accountability Office
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 0359541828
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 88

Book Description
Policymakers and program managers are continually seeking ways to improve accountability in achieving an entity's mission. A key factor in improving accountability in achieving an entity's mission is to implement an effective internal control system. An effective internal control system helps an entity adapt to shifting environments, evolving demands, changing risks, and new priorities. As programs change and entities strive to improve operational processes and implement new technology, management continually evaluates its internal control system so that it is effective and updated when necessary. Section 3512 (c) and (d) of Title 31 of the United States Code (commonly known as the Federal Managers? Financial Integrity Act (FMFIA)) requires the Comptroller General to issue standards for internal control in the federal government.

The European Parliament as an Accountability Forum

The European Parliament as an Accountability Forum PDF Author: Adina Akbik
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108835759
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 253

Book Description
An examination of executive actors' accountability for EU economic decisions in the aftermath of the euro crisis.

Corporate Accountability Under Socio-economic Rights

Corporate Accountability Under Socio-economic Rights PDF Author: Jernej Letnar Černič
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780367586829
Category : Economic rights
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
This book explores how corporations could effectively respect and protect human rights without compromising their primary business objectives. The book analyses the theoretical foundations and the existing scope and nature of corporate accountability arising from economic and social rights at the international and national levels

Democratic Governance and Economic Performance

Democratic Governance and Economic Performance PDF Author: Dino Falaschetti
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 0387787070
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 146

Book Description
Conventional wisdom warns that unaccountable political and business agents can enrich a few at the expense of many. But logically extending this wisdom implies that associated principals – voters, consumers, shareholders – will favor themselves over the greater good when ‘rules of the game’ instead create too much accountability. Democratic Governance and Economic Performance rigorously develops this hypothesis, and finds statistical evidence and case study illustrations that democratic institutions at various governance levels (e.g., federal, state, corporation) have facilitated opportunistic gains for electoral, consumer, and shareholder principals. To be sure, this conclusion does not dismiss the potential for democratic governance to productively reduce agency costs. Rather, it suggests that policy makers, lawyers, and managers can improve governance by weighing the agency benefits of increased accountability against the distributional costs of favoring principal stakeholders over more general economic opportunities. Carefully considering the fundamentals that give rise to this tradeoff should interest students and scholars working at the intersection of social science and the law, and can help professionals improve their own performance in policy, legal, and business settings.

Modernization and Accountability in the Social Economy Sector

Modernization and Accountability in the Social Economy Sector PDF Author: Ferreira, Augusta
Publisher: IGI Global
ISBN: 1522584838
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 351

Book Description
The social economy sector (SES) faces pressures for greater accountability to their funders, users, and citizens, and a growing need to report good practices in the social, economic, and financial impact that they have on the community. However, these entities often face difficulties related to the lack of an accounting framework that allows them to properly disseminate the results of their activities. Thus, practices that involve financial reporting and an assessment of their social, economic, and financial impact are needed to improve their accountability, sustainability, and operational performance. Modernization and Accountability in the Social Economy Sector is an essential reference source that discusses future avenues of development for the management of SES entities, accounting, control in SES management, and measures of performance in the SES. Featuring research on topics such as online communication, social accounting, and value reporting, this book is ideal for managers, financial consultants, academicians, researchers, and students interested in accounting, management, internal control, auditing, and technology use in the SES.