Papers by Krishna R . Davda, M.Sc.
It is the goal of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) to improve the qua... more It is the goal of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) to improve the quality and purpose of financial reporting in the public sector in order to better inform assessments of resource allocation decisions made by the government, increasing accountability and transparency (Aggestam-Pontoppidan and Andernack 2016)(Bandy 2015)(Simm 2018). Two of the primary accounting systems that permeate the public sector are cash basis and accruals basis. This brief analysis begins by summarizing both systems as presented by Simm (2018) in Public Financial Management: Financial Reporting (IPSAS). It goes on to review the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) Public Sector Committee (PSC) (2000) considerations of both cash and accruals methods. With this foundational understanding, de Sousa et al. (2013) provides an organized comparison of each by adapting the prior research of Athukorala and Reid (2003). IPSAS suggests that the public-sector shift towards an accruals basis and this reality is explored through case studies spanning a developing nation, modern western democracies, and states experiencing economic hardship. Fiji presents an environment where accruals migration was attempted but was unsuccessful for a myriad of reasons. In the United States of America (US), government regulations dating back to 1949 call for the implantation of accruals basis in the public sector; yet a political culture of misinformation and false promises has led to the incentivizing of stagnation, regarding systemic transformation. Another study of western democracies in Belgium, Denmark, Greece, France, Portugal, and Spain identifies that cash basis budgeting combined with accrual-based reporting may better serve the needs of the public sector. Moreover, a separate inquiry into Greece finds that municipalities and their respective resources play critical contextual roles in the successful assimilation of accrual-based systems across different government boroughs. Ultimately, this analysis concurs with prior practical and substantive research that a modified approach to accounting, taking advantage of the benefits of both cash basis and accruals basis can best serve the contextual needs of respective governments.
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This review seeks to outline critical influences on the effectiveness of leaders of organizationa... more This review seeks to outline critical influences on the effectiveness of leaders of organizational change within the field of education. It begins by providing summative background information regarding trends in devolution, management, and education leadership. It then applies an organizational change schema that examines the relationship between leadership and structure, culture, and power and politics. Within these respective associations, critical influences are presented based on studies of top management teams, centralization in management, leadership roles and behaviors, leadership development programming, transformational and transactional leadership, and power and politics. Next, the case of the current change in political leadership in the US and its potential implications on education policy are explored. This study ends with a synthesis of the salient details explored, concluding that there are many strategies and approaches to effective educational leadership. However, unaccounted variables can alter or amend the direction of education, associated policies, and funding that requires education leaders to respond reactively.
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Procurement Design: Appropriate Application of the Best Value for Money Principle and Centralizat... more Procurement Design: Appropriate Application of the Best Value for Money Principle and Centralization Practices Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are agreements between a public entity and a private partner, wherein the goal is to assure financing, construction and renovation, or the operation of public service. The procurement design process is a critical stage where the best value for money values can determine the successful implementation of a PPP. Additionally, the level of centralization in procurement design can impact effective PPPs. This brief analysis begins by summarizing the Best Value for Money (BVM) Principle as presented by Dimitri (2016) in Privatisation and Public-Private Partnerships. It goes on to review Dimitri's (2016) considerations for centralization in the procurement process. With this foundational understanding, five separate case studies are examined that expand upon the BVM principle and centralization in procurement. The education sector presents 'three pillars' of successful PPPs and the role of BVM and centralization in procurement. A study by Zhang (2005) proposes a revised protocol for infrastructure PPPs. A report from a Portuguese budget officer introduces the concept of a comparator evaluation. Then Ángel and Blay (2014) stress the importance of accounting for innovation characteristics in procurement design. Finally, Noonan et al. (2013) present a case where state and local government agencies can leverage the marketplace to enact positive social change through a proposed 'Procurement-based Pathway.' Ultimately, this study finds that the procurement design process requires a context-specific, systematic, and evaluation-based approach that delivers BVM to the public by way of appropriate levels of centralization.
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With the growing adoption of devolutionary public policy principles, subnational governments (SNG... more With the growing adoption of devolutionary public policy principles, subnational governments (SNGs) must begin to effectively implement strategies for fiscal decentralization. This review aims to outline the case for and against the decentralization of tax-raising powers, focusing on developing countries based on the substantive contributions of Bahl and Bird (2008) as sited by Allen (2016). After reviewing both sides of this public policy conundrum, and acknowledging the ongoing trend toward fiscal decentralization, two seemingly incontrovertible sources of local revenue are discussed: “immovable” property taxes and excise taxes. Next, an alternate revenue source is introduced, proposed formulaically by Bjorvatin and Eckel (2011). Deductively, this review indicates that fiscal decentralization in developing countries requires harmonization of subnational policies while accounting for the contextual diversity of regional governance. By exercising discretion in the application and implementation of appropriate sources of tax revenue, SNGs can more aptly serve the communities they represent.
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The science on climate change has reached near-unanimous agreement; greater than ninety-seven per... more The science on climate change has reached near-unanimous agreement; greater than ninety-seven percent of all scientific enquiry concludes that global warming is a phenomenon closely linked to human production of goods, most notably through the consumption of fossil fuels. However politicians and economists continue to disagree on the appropriate interventions to address the problem. The aim of this analysis is to identify the negative externality of global warming, to discuss the implications of externalities, to review current academic contributions, and to provide an account of policy measures that address global warming. This discussion begins with an overview of both positive and negative externalities. Once an understanding of externalities is established and global warming is agreeably identified as a negative (externality), the discussion turns to the current research on global warming and associated policies. Of primary discussion is the application of a carbon tax to incentivize a reduction of emissions and fossil fuel consumption. This discussion focuses on a European Union proposal from the early nineteen-nineties; an analysis of the failure of the Kyoto protocol and recommendations to adopt a globally accepted (harmonized) carbon tax; and two alternate policy instruments to address climate change. Ultimately, this summary analysis concludes that while a carbon tax may be widely accepted as the most effective route to curtail the issues associated with global warming, a multimodal intervention approach and the adoption of multiple strategies may find more uniform and global acceptance.
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This paper aims to discuss the implications and challenges facing European governments within the... more This paper aims to discuss the implications and challenges facing European governments within the European Union (EU), who confront an inter-temporal budget constraint (IBC). It begins by providing a broad definition of an IBC based on foundational economic texts. Based on the formative work of Blanchard and Fischer (1990), Trehan and Walsh (1991), and Quintos (1995), three additional studies that expound on IBC application are introduced. Once a framework for the application of IBC techniques is established, primary findings from the “Fiscal Sustainability Report – 2015” that utilized IBC methodologies are noted, in order to analyze the viability of EU fiscal public policy. To provide additional context to the findings of the commissions’ report, a study by Afonso (2005) is detailed, predicting many of the challenges currently facing the EU. Next, a relevant policy examination by Kruck (2013) makes contributions regarding the current state of economic affairs in EU countries. This review concludes that tools such as IBC can provide relative guidance to public policy in order to maintain budget sustainability; however, it also proposes that IBC analysis can prove gravely misleading when unintended or fiscally relevant but unaccounted-for factors are not appropriately applied.
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The purpose of this paper is to discuss the hallmarks of absorption, marginal and relevant costin... more The purpose of this paper is to discuss the hallmarks of absorption, marginal and relevant costing techniques, as well as each’s application to the current healthcare system of the United States (US)—known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), which is commonly referred to as “Obamacare”.
Given that debate around the ongoing viability of the PPACA continues, I will also analyze the fiscal viability of an alternate ”Single Payer” proposal by Senator Bernie Sanders (Democrat/Independent from Vermont) who is one of the five remaining candidates to be the next President of the United States. This analysis begins by summarizing the key components of each technique as identified by Gary Cokins and edited by Anwar Shah, and summarily presented by Fred Mear and Norman Flynn. To further the discussion and account for real-world application, the current US’s healthcare system and a contrasting proposal are discussed as relevant case studies within a public sector context. Then, Andreas Bergmann’s research contributions on costing techniques will be referenced to support the best application of these costing techniques to the respective cases. Ultimately, this analysis concludes that consistent and reliable application of appropriate costing techniques must be made readily available to US healthcare policy workers, politicians, and the general voting public, so that informed decisions can be based on relevant data and are not lost in the quagmire that is the current partisan political debate.
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The purpose of this paper is to discuss the hallmarks of two ideal types of government—New Public... more The purpose of this paper is to discuss the hallmarks of two ideal types of government—New Public Management and Reinventing Government. These ideal types will be examined in relation to their connections to liberal democracies and developmental states, as well as their relevance to the current political and management climate. This analysis begins by summarizing the key components of each ideal type as identified in the writings of Norman Flynn, Adrian Leftwich, and a University of London course reader. To further the discussion and account for real- world application, India is utilized as a case study of both a liberal democracy and as a polity uniquely apart from the current developmental state debate.
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Drafts by Krishna R . Davda, M.Sc.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate and analyze how the education sector within the United S... more The purpose of this study is to evaluate and analyze how the education sector within the United States (US) addresses fraud. It begins by providing an introductory overview of fraud, conceptually. This is based on the contributions of Aston et al. (2017) in Public Financial Management: Audit and Compliance and Dye (2005) in Corruption and Fraud Detection by Public Sector Auditors. It identifies common fraud modalities and outlines best practices once detected. This analysis presents the problems that fraud can represent within affected institutions, control mechanisms, government, industry, and to the public in general. The discussion then shifts to an examination of fraud within the education sector. In Fighting Fraud in Schools: Lax Controls Open Doors to Crime Dessof (2009) describes the multitude of complications the sector contends with, as a result of its culture and environment, perspectives of management, and a reactive control mechanism. To progress the discussion, an overview of seven highly publicized education sector fraud cases are presented. This review then turns to fraud prevention. It presents the Internal Control-Integrated Framework system developed by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations in 1992 and notes its five key components. The study then hones in on fraud prevention within the education sector. It examines the results of adopted policies, practices, and recommendations that stemmed from the previously discussed cases of fraud. Finally, it presents a proactive system for internal audit control functions developed by the Council of the Great City Schools (2017). Ultimately, this analysis concludes that the US’s education sector remains prone to fraud. It’s proposed that the sector could benefit from the adoption of a number of sector-wide control systems and policy structures that could enhance fraud prevention and detection.
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This report aims to develop a reference tool for the structure and function of internal audit (IA... more This report aims to develop a reference tool for the structure and function of internal audit (IA) within the education sector of the United States of America (USA). It begins by providing an introductory overview of IA, building on the contributions of Aston et al. (2017) in Public Financial Management: Audit and Compliance and Millichamp and Taylor (2012) in Internal Audit. By defining the function and role of IA, per the Institute of Internal Auditing (IIA), this study lays the foundation for the requirement of IA in the education sector. The interplay between external and IA functions is reviewed, exploring common misconceptions. The sector appears to have a reactionary approach to auditing needs, often emanating from criminal fraud. Cases in Los Angeles (CA), Roslyn (NY), Pattonsburg (MO), and Wake County (NC) demonstrate the sector is frequently reacting to a crisis, responding with additional regulation and policy that has an external bent. In contrast, a study by the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) (2017), proposes an adaptable framework for IA function in schools and districts. This review concurs with CGCS’s assessment that Internal Auditing offers school boards and senior management an independent and objective source of information that can help them identify the most critical operational and compliance issues preventing them from ultimately meeting their goals, making high-risk areas increasingly effective. This part concludes by developing a quick reference tool for school administration personnel: a checklist style table summarizing adoptable practices and protocols schools may utilize to improve their respective IA function, per the CGCS, IIA, and the Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS).
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Papers by Krishna R . Davda, M.Sc.
Given that debate around the ongoing viability of the PPACA continues, I will also analyze the fiscal viability of an alternate ”Single Payer” proposal by Senator Bernie Sanders (Democrat/Independent from Vermont) who is one of the five remaining candidates to be the next President of the United States. This analysis begins by summarizing the key components of each technique as identified by Gary Cokins and edited by Anwar Shah, and summarily presented by Fred Mear and Norman Flynn. To further the discussion and account for real-world application, the current US’s healthcare system and a contrasting proposal are discussed as relevant case studies within a public sector context. Then, Andreas Bergmann’s research contributions on costing techniques will be referenced to support the best application of these costing techniques to the respective cases. Ultimately, this analysis concludes that consistent and reliable application of appropriate costing techniques must be made readily available to US healthcare policy workers, politicians, and the general voting public, so that informed decisions can be based on relevant data and are not lost in the quagmire that is the current partisan political debate.
Drafts by Krishna R . Davda, M.Sc.
Given that debate around the ongoing viability of the PPACA continues, I will also analyze the fiscal viability of an alternate ”Single Payer” proposal by Senator Bernie Sanders (Democrat/Independent from Vermont) who is one of the five remaining candidates to be the next President of the United States. This analysis begins by summarizing the key components of each technique as identified by Gary Cokins and edited by Anwar Shah, and summarily presented by Fred Mear and Norman Flynn. To further the discussion and account for real-world application, the current US’s healthcare system and a contrasting proposal are discussed as relevant case studies within a public sector context. Then, Andreas Bergmann’s research contributions on costing techniques will be referenced to support the best application of these costing techniques to the respective cases. Ultimately, this analysis concludes that consistent and reliable application of appropriate costing techniques must be made readily available to US healthcare policy workers, politicians, and the general voting public, so that informed decisions can be based on relevant data and are not lost in the quagmire that is the current partisan political debate.