A Model of Governance and Accounting Systems in Africa PhD Proposal

A Model of Governance and Accounting Systems in Africa

Proposal for PhD in Accounting and Finance

Research Objectives

This research, which is motivated by the desire to understand the implications of the ongoing World Bank reforms, examines the role of accounting systems in governance improvements in Africa. The overall objective is to develop a model that will help explain the relationship between accounting systems and governance systems in Africa. The specific objectives of the study are to:

Develop a universally acceptable definition and measurement of governance

Evaluate the extent to which the World Bank reforms in Africa are primarily meant to improve governance,

Analyse the role of role accounting systems in governance improvements in Africa.

Conceptualize the association between accounting systems and governance into theoretical framework that could be used in policy formulation.

Research problem and questions

Despite the importance of governance in the World Bank developmental agenda, its conceptualisation and measurement have remained debateable.

Satellite image of Africa, showing the ecological ...

The World Bank & Inspection Panel's headquarters i...

English: UNECA members

For example, there is no uniform and acceptable definition of governance (Al-Marhubi, 2004). Furthermore, there is disagreement on the elements and components of governance. While having good accounting and financial systems is likely to contribute to governance development, the available measures of governance produced by the World Bank and other bodies (such as the Mo Ibrahim Foundations) which are used to inform most lending decisions place limited emphasis on accounting systems. There was no specific mention of accounting systems in the variables used to construct these governance indicators. Moreover, no research has investigated directly the relationship between accounting systems and governance systems of a country. The very few accounting studies that have developmental focus have been on the relationship between the adoption of the International Accounting Standards (IASs) and economic development (Larson & Kenny, 1995; Zeghal & Mhedhbi, 2006). These studies have generally recognised the...