...Cristiana Parisi; Justyna Bekier Purpose This paper aims to explore the role of performance measurement systems as technologies of government for the assessment and management of the effects of COVID-19 in the context of six cities involved in a large European project. Design/methodology...

...Chris Carter; Irvine Lapsley; Filippo Giordano Purpose The aim of this paper is to add to understanding of how cities function. Specifically, through the lens of power relationships in political organisations, it seeks to study the manner in which accounting and politics are involved...

...Irvine Lapsley; Peter Miller; Fabrizio Panozzo; Martin Kornberger; Chris Carter Purpose Recent years have witnessed an increasing number of cities develop strategies. The discourse of strategic management has become an obligatory point of passage for many city managers. This paper starts by posing...

...Irvine Lapsley; Peter Miller; Fabrizio Panozzo Purpose This paper aims to identify the study of cities as an important and neglected focus for accounting researchers. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a case study approach to visualizing and calculating the city. Findings...

...Michela Arnaboldi; Irvine Lapsley Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine asset management in three cities. It is informed by polyphony as a theoretical perspective and draws on the fact‐building process to explore the practice of asset management in these study settings. Design...

...Antti Rautiainen Purpose “Contending legitimations” (Meyer and Scott) in cities – and especially multiple conflicting institutional pressures on decision makers – have not received sufficient accounting study. Therefore this paper aims to analyse the multiple institutional pressures...

...Daniela Cristofoli; Angelo Ditillo; Mariannunziata Liguori; Mariafrancesca Sicilia; Ileana Steccolini Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mechanisms adopted by cities to control the provision of externalized public services and to explore the determinants of such control...

...Barbara Czarniawska Purpose The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the complexity of accounting for the city, on a specific example of an urban project in Rome. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a study consisting of various accounts of the project, including a photo...