Public Sector Audit

Drawing on 20 years of experience as Comptroller and Auditor General, and head of the United Kingdom National Audit Office, Public Sector Auditing: Is it Value for Money? is Sir John Bourn’s own account of the role and influence value for money auditing has in holding governments to account and in helping public bodies improve the ways in which they deliver services. Key features include: In-depth case studies from UK, US, Canada, China, India and Australia; Detailed analysis of complex areas of public expenditure such as health, education, privatisation, regulation, defence and IT; Examples of how auditing can promote positive outcomes rather than negative post mortems. This book is relevant for people working in both the public and private sectors, and should be essential reading for the staff of public sector audit institutions around the world, as well as commercial accountancy firms and students of accountancy, politics, economics and public management.

This book provides a concise overview of the current context and types of public sector audit and the varied structures within which public sector audit is practised across the world. It summarises the objectives of public sector audit as well as explores the role of the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions in providing guidance to these. Drawing on public and private sector audit as well as the views of academics and practitioners on public sector audit, it provides a unique research-based guide to the current issues and future challenges in the field.

Environment and sustainable development challenges are a matter of global concern. Trillions of dollars of mostly public money are invested every year in domestic and international policies and programs to address these challenges. The effectiveness of these policies and programs is critical to environmental sustainability. Performance audits that examine the effectiveness of governmental policies and programs heavily influence their implementation. Despite this, performance auditing in the environment field has received very little academic attention. This book takes a closer look at performance auditing of public sector environmental policies and programs. It examines trends in global environmental performance auditing; and how it is currently practiced drawing on a global survey and case studies from Canada, India and Australia. In doing so, it identifies issues and challenges faced by Supreme Audit Institutions in undertaking these performance audits. This book will be of interest to students, scholars and practitioners of sustainable development, environmental auditing and public sector auditing as well as to donor organisations engaged in these areas.

This book comprehensively presents the current practice and further development paths of public sector accounting, auditing and control systems in 7 South Eastern European countries based on the contributions of highly-respected researchers. Each chapter is a study of the territorial organisation, public sector scope, formulation and execution of central government and local and regional self-government budgets, accounting and financial reporting reforms and practice, audit and other oversight (supervision) in the public sector, and challenges in the further development of public sector accounting and auditing of each country. It also provides insights into the challenges that SEE countries are faced with as they move towards the adoption of accrual accounting and the implementation of IPSAS and/or EPSAS, and offers a valuable reference resource for academics, researchers, students, auditors, public administrators, policy makers and standard setters.

Providing a comprehensive account which brings a wide range of countries to the forefront in terms of both comparability and accountability, this study shines a light on the differences in accounting systems between states, and fills a gap in the literature by combining these aspects of public sector accounting and auditing within a single book.

This book examines key methodological and organizational questions with regard to assessing the quality of internal audits. By studying the status quo of these audits in the public sector, including municipalities, it identifies relevant weaknesses, loopholes and issues. In addition, the book assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the approved control system to explain the reasons why, and conditions under which, internal audits are ineffective, and proposes new metric and non-metric indicators to improve the quality of internal auditing. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable guide for anyone responsible for financial controls and internal audits, and will appeal to students and financial practitioners alike.

Exploring the role of public sector audit in emerging democracies and developing countries, this book provides an account of the relationship between the public sector auditor, the legislature and executive government. In particular, it introduces public sector audit's capacity to assess government agencies' compliance with the law and their management of taxpayer or internationally funded programs and services. The volume: ¢ Explores the Australian model of public sector audit. ¢ Provides a definition of a supreme Audit Institution (SAI) and the role and responsibilities of the public sector auditor. ¢ Examines the authority necessary for the SAI to function effectively. ¢ Discusses likely future reform of the SAI's legal framework. ¢ Illustrates how audit can be used to strengthen democratic institutions in emerging market economies. It will be of use to researchers, academics and students interested in the critical issues surrounding audit in general and public sector audit in particular. It will also be a valuable guide to practitioners in this area.

"This book provides a concise overview of the current context and types of public sector audit and the varied structures within which public sector audit is practised across the world. It summarises the objectives of public sector audit as well as exploring the role of the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions in providing guidance to these. Drawing on public and private sector audit as well as the views of academics and practitioners on public sector audit, it provides a unique research-based guide to the current issues and future challenges in the field"--

Audits provide essential accountability and transparency over government programs. Given the current challenges facing governments and their programs, the oversight provided through auditing is more critical than ever. Government auditing provides the objective analysis and information needed to make the decisions necessary to help create a better future. The professional standards presented in this 2018 revision of Government Auditing Standards (known as the Yellow Book) provide a framework for performing high-quality audit work with competence, integrity, objectivity, and independence to provide accountability and to help improve government operations and services. These standards, commonly referred to as generally accepted government auditing standards (GAGAS), provide the foundation for government auditors to lead by example in the areas of independence, transparency, accountability, and quality through the audit process. This revision contains major changes from, and supersedes, the 2011 revision.