Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal: Volume 16 Issue 3

Public private partnerships: an introduction

Jane Broadbent, Richard Laughlin

Public private partnerships (PPPs) are a recent extension of what has now become well known as the “new public management” agenda for changes in the way public services are…

Value for money tests and accounting treatment in PFI schemes

David Heald

In Private Finance Initiative (PFI) projects, value for money (VFM) tests and accounting treatment are distinct but related issues. VFM analysis should be concerned with total…

The social construction of financial statement elements under Private Finance Initiative schemes

Brian A. Rutherford

An episode in the development of accounting for Private Finance Initiative (PFI) scheme transactions is explored from a social constructionist perspective. The “carrying” of…

Partnerships: for better, for worse?

Pamela Edwards, Jean Shaoul

Partnerships are the British government’s preferred method of procuring public sector services, and the policy is usually justified in terms of delivering value for money. Ex ante…

Evaluating the Private Finance Initiative in the National Health Service in the UK

Jane Broadbent, Jas Gill, Richard Laughlin

This paper seeks to develop a system of how to judge the merit and worth of Private Finance Initiative (PFI) projects in the UK National Health Service (NHS) once they are…

Investigating Enron as a public private partnership

C. Richard Baker

The bankruptcy of Enron Corp. has evolved into a scandal of enormous proportions involving allegations of fraud, corruption and unethical practices on the part of Enron’s…

Fiscal (ir)responsibility: privileging PPPs in New Zealand

Susan Newberry, June Pallot

This article explains the structures and rules built into the New Zealand government’s financial management system which encourage entry into commitments such as public private…

Driving privately financed projects in Australia: what makes them tick?

Linda M. English, James Guthrie

This paper documents the growing dependence of Australian governments on the use of private funding to provide infrastructure and related services to the public. Using a…