The auditing of public policy and the politics of auditing: The U.S. GAO and Israel's State Comptroller

Patrick G. Grasso, Ira Sharkansky

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

A purist conception of audit independence appears to be obsolete. A survey of audit activities of the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) and Israel's State Comptroller describes pressures on audit bodies to examine sensitive policy issues and to enter partisan and personal squabbles between elected officials. The critique of the GAO by the National Academy of Public Administration recommends that legislators refrain from asking the audit body to deal with politically sensitive issues. In order to salvage something from the principle of audit independence, it appears more realistic to urge diligence on the part of the supreme auditor.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-21
Number of pages21
JournalGovernance
Volume14
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2001

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