This event discusses a new book edited by Richard Allen, Richard Hemming and Barry H. Potter, 'The International Handbook of Public Financial Management'.

The book provides the first comprehensive treatment of the subject of public financial management (PFM) in over a decade.  It is divided into six sections: 1) the institutional and legal framework of PFM; 2) allocating resources through the budget; 3) managing budget execution; 4) managing government revenues; 5) liability and asset management; and 6) accounting, reporting, transparency and oversight arrangements. 

The volume shows how PFM is an important connecting point between political decision-making on fiscal policy, technical aspects of budgeting and public finance, and political economy aspects that have only come to prominence in the last few years. The global financial crisis has highlighted the importance of effective budget institutions and PFM in making the necessary fiscal adjustments both in rich and poor countries.

The event will bring together a diverse group of practitioners and academics to discuss key issues raised by the book. How can PFM contribute to global fiscal consolidation?  Do developing countries have appropriate analytical tools with which to strengthen their PFM systems? What are the latest trends in PFM and how are these likely to develop over the next ten years?