The public internal financial control (PIFC) concept was developed in the late 1990s as a way for Eastern Bloc countries working toward full membership of the European Union to implement the necessary control systems to safeguard public resources. Moreover, it is equally relevant for developing countries whose governance structures parallel the public-law model.

This book:

• Helps public managers understand the nuances of the PIFC concept.
• Identifies the key decisions needed to tailor the approach to their particular environment.
• Serves as an important guide for government officials in public-law countries that are attempting to incorporate modern concepts of internal control into their traditional governance structures.
• Assists students of public administration and public policy in understanding the differences between public law governance structures and the Anglo-American or “Westminster” models.
• Sheds light on the fundamental challenges that exist in transferring principles such as control, internal control, and system across cultures.

Public Internal Financial Control: A New Framework for Public Sector Management recognizes today’s challenges and serves as a useful guide to implementing modern management control systems through a tailored and evolutionary process. Its position that we should seek “evolution” rather than “revolution” clearly recognizes the circumstances of public sector managers who are confronting unprecedented changes in their processes, organizational structures, and even in their ways of thinking about control.