The contribution of this paper is to extend our understanding of a specific accounting innovation in central government. This
particular paper is the most comprehensive study of its kind of this accounting innovation, to date. This study investigated a
major accounting innovation – the reform of UK central government accounting – which entailed the implementation of accrual
accounting in central government. The specific form of accrual accounting studied was Resource Accounting and Budgeting
(RAB) – the UK version of accrual accounting for central government. This model of accrual accounting entails the conventional
approach of including asset valuations and depreciation, but it also includes distinctive features, notably the inclusion of
statements which analyse aims and objectives against resource use. This distinctive form of accrual accounting was
investigated in the Scottish Parliament, which was created as part of the UK government’s modernisation policy of devolution of
powers – specifically to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. As part of this modernisation, the executives and elected bodies
of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland continued to be regarded as part of central government for accounting purposes and
have all been required to implement Resource Accounting and Budgeting.
This study examined the implementation of RAB in Scotland over the six stages of Rogers diffusion model (see Table 1)
from the perspective of democratic accountability. The implementation stage of these phenomena was of particular interest.
This tested whether the innovation of RAB worked or not. This was investigated in two phases: first, there was scrutiny of
budgetary documents and observation; second, there was further scrutiny of RAB, from the perspective of actual and
potential users of this information. Regarding the first part of this study, the focus was on documents in the public domain.
However, this study had access to detailed scrutiny of these budgetary documents, which is not in the public domain. This
particular approach is distinctive, with interesting results. It reveals how Members of the Scottish Parliament scrutinised
these financial documents as part of the activities of business committees of the Scottish Parliament with key responsibilities
for the discharge of budget scrutiny.
Studies of RAB’s predecessor, a cash-based system, suggests that Members of the UK’s Westminster Parliament were
disconnected from the financial scrutiny process, that they were ill at ease with the financial and planning documents, and
that they made little use of them. There is less direct evidence available on the new RAB system, other than studies of the