Public sector financial management is an umbrella concept that covers all the activities directed towards the effective and efficient management of public sector financial resources. Implementing PFM has been a historical challenge for most countries, both in developed and developing economies, in order to improve decision making in the public sector. This special issue of the International Journal of Public Sector Performance Management aims to contribute to this area of research. It intends to study innovations already put into action, as well as the consequences, both planned and unintended, of the reforms implemented at different organisational and governmental levels in public financial management. It also aims to shed light on the challenges and perspectives of future reforms.
The four contributions to the special issue explore achievements, lessons learnt and effective practices through case studies in different governments and organisations, in order to analyse how innovative processes took place, their drivers, the role played by regulators, managers and other stakeholders, and the extent to which financial management has been improved by these processes.