Chapter 5: Accounting Practices in the Public Sector in the Eastern Caribbean: Do They Reflect Caribbean Realities?

This chapter delves into the evolutionary trajectory of financial reporting within the public sector in the Eastern Caribbean, tracing its evolution from manual procedures and ambiguous accounting standards to the contemporary realm of electronic reporting. In contrast to their larger counterparts, such as Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and Guyana which gained independence from Britain in the 1960s, the smaller islands in the Eastern Caribbean, such as Antigua and Barbuda, have been more reliant on the developed world and donor agencies. This dependence underscores a critical need to assess the implications and challenges associated with the adoption of international public sector standards in these small developing Caribbean nations.