On December 4th 2021, the Fifth Academic Forum on Government and Accounting, jointly organized by the Office of Academic Journal of Journal of Accounting and Economics, an academic journal of Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance (SLU), and the Institute of Government Accounting of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (ZUEL), was held remotely. It was attended by over 200 scholars from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Nanjing University, Xiamen University, Southeast University, Hunan University, Chongqing University, Ocean University of China (OUC), Jinan University, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE), Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, and Zhongnan University of Economics and Law. SLU Standing Committee Member of the SLU University Council and Vice President Chen Jie attended the forum and delivered a speech.
Chen said in her speech that the Chinese government has put in place a basic system for accounting standards and some progress has been in the Chinese government accounting reform. In the new era when new economies, patterns and technologies would have significant impacts on the government accounting system and reform under the new development philosophy, she said, how to tackle challenges and seize opportunities while proceeding with the ongoing task of the Chinese government accounting reform in line with the new era to better adapt to new circumstances and requirements is an important task confronting government accounting researchers. She said that the forum brought together Chinese authoritative scholars specializing in government accounting to brainstorm innovative ideas for the Chinese government accounting in the new era, which would certainly promote better reform of the Chinese government accounting.
The forum is comprised of keynote presentations and sub-forums. Head of the ZUEL Institute of Government Accounting Professor Zhang Qi delivered a keynote speech, followed by the research fellow Liu Liyun with the Audit Research Institute of China’s National Audit Office, Professor Zhang Tianyu with CUHK-Shenzhen, Professor Xin Qingquan with the School of Economics and Business Administration of Chongqing University and Professor Fan Ziying with the School of Public Economics and Administration of SUFE, who delivered their keynote speeches titled: “Studying the Revised Audit Law to Deepen China’s Audit Theory Studies”, “Textual Information in Analyst Report”, “Account Numbers and Securities Regulation”, and “Get My Money Back: The VAT Distortion and Related-Party Transactions in China”. These speeches not only reflect the latest topics and fields of study, but have important policy implications and practical values.
The forum received 47 papers, of which 12 papers were selected for presentation at the sub-forums after blind review. The two sub-forums focus on studies in government accounting standards and empirical studies in government accounting, which were facilitated by Professor Zhang Guoqing with Xiamen University, Professor Jiang Hongqing with OUC, Professor Pan Jun with Nanjing Audit University and Associate Professor Yu Junli with SJTU. The sub-form on studies in government accounting standards presented such topics as Implementation, Tracking and Auditing of Rural Revitalization Policies, Government Financial Information Value Delivery, Interpretation and Theoretical Reconstruction of Government Balance Sheet, Role of Financial and Accounting Regulation in National Governance Modernization, and Logical Basis and Fiscal and Taxation Handling for the PPP Model. The sub-forum on empirical studies in government accounting presented such topics as Resource Allocation for Social Security Fund Investment, Internet Development and Audit Correction Quality, Audit Regulation and Local Economic Data Distortion, Leaders Off-office Audit and Business Innovation, and Government Environment Audit and Business Green Innovation. 12 scholars from Shanxi University of Finance and Economics, Capital University of Economics and Business, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Zhejiang University of Finance & Economics, Guangdong University of Finance & Economics, and Nanjing Audit University made their comments on the papers over a range of popular issues in current government accounting studies, such as rural revitalization, PPP, audit correction, social security fund investment and environmental audit. The scholars were all eager to comment and their comments were professional and to the point.
The forum is jointly launched in 2017 by the Office of Academic Journal of Journal of Accounting and Economics and the Institute of Government Accounting of ZUEL, aimed at including the theories of economics, management, sociology, politics and law in conventional government accounting studies, to create new content, methods and paradigms for government accounting studies and promote the Chinese government accounting studies. It’s the fourth time that the forum was held, and it provides an influential and prestigious platform to have academic communication in government accounting studies. It has also significantly boosted the academic influence of SLU’s journal.
