<![CDATA[Public sector accounting reforms have traditionally assumed that better financial and performance information leads to better public decisions. However, growing evidence indicates that decision quality depends not only on information quality but also on how decision-makers cognitively interpret and use that information. Although behavioural research has expanded rapidly, studies on cognitive biases in public sector accounting remain fragmented across behavioural accounting, public sector accounting, and Behavioural Public Administration. This study addresses this gap through a systematic literature review of cognitive biases in public sector accounting and public financial decision-making. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, seventeen peer-reviewed articles were analysed using thematic synthesis. The review identifies three interrelated categories of cognitive biases—information processing biases, judgment and decision biases, and commitment and persistence biases—that collectively explain how cognitive processes shape accounting information interpretation, financial judgments, and the persistence of public decisions. The findings also reveal that existing research is concentrated on performance information and public budgeting, while public financial reporting, public sector auditing, and popular financial reporting remain underexplored. Building on these findings, this study proposes Behavioural Public Sector Accounting (BPSA) as a conceptual framework that integrates behavioural accounting, public sector accounting, and Behavioural Public Administration, shifting the focus of public sector accounting research from information production toward information use. The study argues that improving public decisions requires understanding not only the quality of accounting information but also the cognitive processes through which it is interpreted and applied.]]>
