Research on the current status and prospects of digitization of accounting of public institutions in Romania from the point of view of accounting professionals

Abstract

Digitization of public administration in Romania and, implicitly, of their accounting is a highly topical and debated subject, both at the level of the European institutions with attributions in this sector and at the level of the states, which wish to integrate it on a large scale at the level of the devolved institutions. Romania has taken important steps in this area, but the process is far from complete. For these reasons, the aim of our research is to identify the perception of accounting professionals in Romania regarding the status of accounting digitization and the possibilities of optimizing financial-accounting and reporting processes through the extended use of emerging technologies. In order to achieve this goal, an empirical, quantitative research was used, by means of a questionnaire, which was elaborated and applied on-line to accounting professionals working in the financial accounting departments of public institutions. The results of the survey revealed that the digitization of public institutions' accounting is at an early stage and that there are multiple dysfunctions related in particular to data capture, which still cannot be performed automatically, system errors and software not being updated in time. The study can be useful for the state, regulatory bodies with regulatory powers in the field, as well as for the management of public institutions that can adopt the solutions identified by accounting professionals in the day-to-day work of the institutions they manage.