Nas Normas Brasileiras de Contabilidade Aplicadas ao Setor Público encontra-se a NBC T 16.11, que visa estabelecer a utilização do Sistema de Informações de Custos no Setor Público (SICSP), em que, pela Portaria no 753/2012 do STN, definiu- se que a sua implantação deveria ocorrer até o final de 2014. Neste contexto, é imprescindível conhecer quais as dificuldades e expectativas que os atores envolvidos nesse processo de implantação possuem e qual a contribuição do SICSP para o desenvolvimento local. Com efeito, este trabalho tem por norte discutir: Qual a percepção dos usuários sobre a importância do Sistema de Informações de Custos no Setor Público para a gestão e desenvolvimento municipal? Assim, para iniciar a discussão, colocou-se como objetivo geral do estudo investigar a percepção dos responsáveis pela implantação do SICSP, quanto à sua contribuição como ferramenta de Gestão e Planejamento para o Desenvolvimento dos respectivos Municípios. A pesquisa se utilizou do questionário como instrumento de coleta de dados em campo. A metodologia da análise de dados aplicada ao questionário se valeu da análise univariada e com o auxílio do teste qui-quadrado, utilizou-se também a análise bivariada. Demonstra-se, por meio da pesquisa de campo, aliada ao referencial teórico, alicerçado pelas pesquisas bibliográfica e documental que, findado o prazo legal de implantação, grande parte dos respondentes ainda não concluíram o processo, mesmo entendendo que o SICSP contribui significativamente para a gestão e desenvolvimento do município. Como resultado e conclusão, nota- se, que há uma carência de pessoal qualificado tecnicamente para a implantação e utilização do SICSP bem como se salienta ainda que o quantitativo de pessoal é insuficiente em muitos dos casos pesquisados. / Norm T16.11 of the Brazilian Accounting Norms (Normas Brasileiras de Contabilidade - NBC), regulated through Law regulation no. 753/2012 of the National Treasury Department, is applied to the Public Sector and provides rules for the Public Sector Cost Information System determining that its implantation should have been effective until the end of 2014. In such context, it is indispensable to know the difficulties and expectations facing the people involved in the implantation process, as well as the Public Sector Cost Information System contribution to local development. Thus, the present work aims at discussing if users understand the importance of the Public Sector Cost Information System to municipal management and development. The study general objective is to investigate if people in charge of implanting the Public Sector Cost Information System see it as a management and planning tool to help municipality development. The study field research methodology used questionnaires as data collection tool. Data analysis= was performed using univariate analysis with the help of chi-squared test and bivariate analysis. Based on the field research, that was associated to a theoretical referential and to bibliographic and documental researches, we inferred that although the legal implantation term have expired, most of the interviewed have not yet completed the process, even though they understood that the Public Sector Cost Information System contributes significantly to improve municipality management and development. The study conclusion is that there is a lack of technically qualified personnel to implant and use the Public Sector Cost Information System. We also highlight that in most of the study cases personnel qualification is unsatisfactory.

Nas Normas Brasileiras de Contabilidade Aplicadas ao Setor Público encontra-se a NBC T 16.11, que visa estabelecer a utilização do Sistema de Informações de Custos no Setor Público (SICSP), em que, pela Portaria no 753/2012 do STN, definiu- se que a sua implantação deveria ocorrer até o final de 2014. Neste contexto, é imprescindível conhecer quais as dificuldades e expectativas que os atores envolvidos nesse processo de implantação possuem e qual a contribuição do SICSP para o desenvolvimento local. Com efeito, este trabalho tem por norte discutir: Qual a percepção dos usuários sobre a importância do Sistema de Informações de Custos no Setor Público para a gestão e desenvolvimento municipal? Assim, para iniciar a discussão, colocou-se como objetivo geral do estudo investigar a percepção dos responsáveis pela implantação do SICSP, quanto à sua contribuição como ferramenta de Gestão e Planejamento para o Desenvolvimento dos respectivos Municípios. A pesquisa se utilizou do questionário como instrumento de coleta de dados em campo. A metodologia da análise de dados aplicada ao questionário se valeu da análise univariada e com o auxílio do teste qui-quadrado, utilizou-se também a análise bivariada. Demonstra-se, por meio da pesquisa de campo, aliada ao referencial teórico, alicerçado pelas pesquisas bibliográfica e documental que, findado o prazo legal de implantação, grande parte dos respondentes ainda não concluíram o processo, mesmo entendendo que o SICSP contribui significativamente para a gestão e desenvolvimento do município. Como resultado e conclusão, nota- se, que há uma carência de pessoal qualificado tecnicamente para a implantação e utilização do SICSP bem como se salienta ainda que o quantitativo de pessoal é insuficiente em muitos dos casos pesquisados. / Norm T16.11 of the Brazilian Accounting Norms (Normas Brasileiras de Contabilidade - NBC), regulated through Law regulation no. 753/2012 of the National Treasury Department, is applied to the Public Sector and provides rules for the Public Sector Cost Information System determining that its implantation should have been effective until the end of 2014. In such context, it is indispensable to know the difficulties and expectations facing the people involved in the implantation process, as well as the Public Sector Cost Information System contribution to local development. Thus, the present work aims at discussing if users understand the importance of the Public Sector Cost Information System to municipal management and development. The study general objective is to investigate if people in charge of implanting the Public Sector Cost Information System see it as a management and planning tool to help municipality development. The study field research methodology used questionnaires as data collection tool. Data analysis= was performed using univariate analysis with the help of chi-squared test and bivariate analysis. Based on the field research, that was associated to a theoretical referential and to bibliographic and documental researches, we inferred that although the legal implantation term have expired, most of the interviewed have not yet completed the process, even though they understood that the Public Sector Cost Information System contributes significantly to improve municipality management and development. The study conclusion is that there is a lack of technically qualified personnel to implant and use the Public Sector Cost Information System. We also highlight that in most of the study cases personnel qualification is unsatisfactory.

The adoption of the Millennium Development Goal 1 (MDG1) of reducing the rate of poverty to half of the 1990-level by 2015, the advent of democracy in South Africa, among other things, have raised concerns over the potential role of the agricultural sector. There is a belief that the sector has the capacity to successfully reduce poverty among the rural masses and contribute to addressing the problem of inequality in South Africa. In line with that thinking, South Africa‘s agricultural sector has attracted considerable fiscal policy interest. For instance, South Africa‘s statistics show that public investments in agricultural development programmes have been growing. In spite of this, rural poverty is still a major concern on an overall basis. However, this might not be the case in the Eastern Cape Province and the situation might be different for each district municipality. This study assesses the linkages between public agricultural investment, agricultural growth and poverty reduction in the Eastern Cape Province. The study also addresses the question whether Eastern Cape Province is on course to meet several regional development targets. The study also aims to provide an estimate of the amount of agricultural investment required to attain the agricultural productivity growth rate which is sufficient to meet MDG1. The study reviewed the various theories of public spending, linkages between public investment and agricultural growth and how these components affect the incidence of poverty. The conventional wisdom that public expenditure in agriculture positively affects economic growth and this growth consequently reduces poverty was noted. The reviews also revealed that in many developing countries, the current level of public agricultural investment needs to be increased significantly for countries to meet the MDG1. This study employed the decomposition technique and growth elasticity of poverty concept to estimate the response of poverty to its key determinants. The size of public spending, prioritization of public spending and the intensity in the use of public funds emerged as important in increasing agricultural production. The relationship between government investment in agriculture and agricultural GDP shows iv that public funds were largely behind the province‘s success in increasing agricultural production throughout the period from 1990s to 2010. Agricultural spending went to sustainable resource management, administrative functions and then farmer support programme. Exceptional growth in the size of spending was recorded in respect to agricultural economic function, structured agricultural training, sustainable resource management and veterinary services. Overall output from the agricultural sector fluctuated, and the sector contributed less than 5 per cent to the total provincial GDP. Correlations between growth in agricultural sector and changes in the incidence of poverty in Eastern Cape show that during the period 1995 to 2000, increases in the agricultural GDP per capita may have failed to benefit the poor as poverty increased in all the reported cases.–However, for the period between 2005 and 2010, the situation was different and it was observed that increases in agricultural GDP per capita and were associated with reduction in the incidence of poverty. Growth elasticity of poverty (GEP) estimates reveal that agricultural GDP per capita was more important in reducing poverty in 5 out of the 7 district municipalities. Non-agricultural GDP per capita was only important in two district municipalities. It emerged that most of the district municipalities are not in a position to meet any of the regional set goals. This situation is largely attributable to the province‘s failure to boost agricultural production which is an outcome of low and inefficient public expenditure management, inconsistent and misaligned policies and failure to fully embrace the concept of pro-poor growth. Varied provisional estimates for the required agricultural growth rate and the increase in public spending on agriculture required in order to reach MDG1 were calculated for each district municipalities. All the district municipalities of Eastern Cape will need to increase public investment in agriculture for them to achieve MDG1.

Fair value accounting of biological assets in the public sector was introduced with the adoption of the public sector specific accounting standard, Generally Recognised Accounting Practice (GRAP) 101. The public sector currently uses different bases of accounting: public entities and municipalities must use accrual accounting and apply the principles of GRAP, while government departments report on the modified cash basis. Furthermore, public entities do not consistently apply the requirements of GRAP 101. This lack of a uniform basis of accounting has a negative effect on the comparability of financial information. This study identified the challenges facing the public sector in the application of GRAP 101, specifically regarding the fair value accounting of biological assets. The successful implementation of GRAP 101 by a public entity, AsgiSA-EC, was used as a case study to clarify the fair value accounting challenges in the reporting of biological assets in the sector. / Business Management / M. Accounting Science

Fair value accounting of biological assets in the public sector was introduced with the adoption of the public sector specific accounting standard, Generally Recognised Accounting Practice (GRAP) 101. The public sector currently uses different bases of accounting: public entities and municipalities must use accrual accounting and apply the principles of GRAP, while government departments report on the modified cash basis. Furthermore, public entities do not consistently apply the requirements of GRAP 101. This lack of a uniform basis of accounting has a negative effect on the comparability of financial information. This study identified the challenges facing the public sector in the application of GRAP 101, specifically regarding the fair value accounting of biological assets. The successful implementation of GRAP 101 by a public entity, AsgiSA-EC, was used as a case study to clarify the fair value accounting challenges in the reporting of biological assets in the sector. / Business Management / M. Accounting Science

MPM / Oliver Tambo Institute of Governance and Policy Studies / The aim of the study investigates the significance of Auditor General in the control of public funds in local government with specific reference to Mopani District Municipality in order to make recommendations that can assist in improving the control of public funds. The research identifies and assesses weaknesses in how Mopani District Municipality has been controlling its public funds by analyzing the Auditor General reports for the past three financial years and its implications to service delivery. The research further assesses the role played by Auditor General in influencing the internal financial control of the municipality and in auditing the performance of the municipality since in other municipalities money is paid to contractors for services not rendered. The study provides academic input into public administration, specifically in the area of improving service delivery performance, control and financial performance management in municipalities. The study could contribute to the establishment of effective ways of monitoring the control of public funds by municipalities. / NRF