History of an unsuccessful performance measurement innovation: surplus accounts in France (1966-c.1990)

The surplus accounts method (méthode des comptes de surplus) is an accounting technique developed by French economists from 1966 onwards, at the request of the French government. It enables a business to assess the total year-on-year gain in productivity, and can also estimate how that gain is distributed between stakeholders. Despite efforts by the State, particularly by the researchers in charge of introducing the method, support from the French professional organisation for accountants, the Ordre des Experts-Comptables, and many academics, and the usefulness of the information that it was able to produce, the surplus accounts method failed to thrive. In this study, we aim to show how this method appeared, and the reasons why it disappeared.