Seeking Quality in Training Public Financial Managers: The Place for Certification

The search for quality in public management has been provoked in recent years, mainly by the decline in the public's trust of government and by the growing interest in the development of performance measures. A general assumption that certification of public financial managers will enhance the quality of public management and will thus return public trust in government and the respect for its servants underlies the issues discussed in this article. It focuses on the endeavors to link certification and credentialing of financial managers to broader alternative strategies for assuring quality. The strengths and weaknesses of three major strategies and the available resources for their implementation are discussed: (1) promoting quality within public management education and training; (2) promoting quality within the environment where managers work; and (3) promoting quality of skills held by individual managers themselves.