Improving the Quality of Financial-Accounting Information by Strengthening the Financial Autonomy of Universities

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the quality of financial accounting information of public higher education institutions with financial autonomy in the Republic of Moldova and its dependence on their financial autonomy. For this purpose, financial statements and other relevant information available on the websites of public universities with financial autonomy in the Republic of Moldova were analysed. The analysis focused on the following research questions: i) is the quality of the information ensured in terms of the regulatory framework and user requirements? ii) is the quality of the information ensured in terms of the requirements of the regulatory framework and user requirements? iii) Is the quality of information related to the financial autonomy of universities? iiii) How can the enhancement of financial autonomy influence the quality of information? The results show that public higher education institutions with financial autonomy ignore the requirements of the regulatory framework on financial reporting and publication of financial statements, head's report and auditor's report on their websites. As a result, users do not have access to financial and accounting information and their conclusions and decisions may be distorted and unjustified. To rectify this, the financial management of the institution needs to be strengthened and all the opportunities afforded by its financial autonomy must be used. At the same time, this research depicts through bibliometric analysis scientific productivity, impact of scientific research, trending topics, and others. Thus, the methodological tools characteristic of the social sciences, quantitative and qualitative methods, were used to carry out the scientific approach.