THE IMPACT OF EXTERNAL PUBLIC AUDIT ON PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION EFFICIENCY

Abstract

The control of governmental expenditure is one of the main traits of democratic systems. Similarly, the supreme state audit has been around for centuries, in most European states, which have established mechanisms to ensure accountability for the management of public expenditure, as well as to guarantee their transparency and supervision. Public audit focuses on the formation and use of public funds, being an integral part of good governance. It has a wide range of manifestation, covering all areas of the public sector, each of them being analyzed from at least two perspectives: the financial effort of the public sector to carry out the activities and the impact of these activities that are useful to society. The study of the norms elaborated at international level and the experience of advanced European states offers a comprehensive perspective on public audit from a conceptual point of view within the current European context and helps us highlight the role of audit in restoring public confidence in the quality of the financial reporting system. Moreover, public audit plays a decisive role in increasing efficiency and transparency in the management of public resources and in reducing corruption. The impact of the external public audit activity of the Romanian Court of Accounts on the correct and effective management of public financial resources can be highlighted as a whole, using the data from the audit reports published by the institution.

Keywords

• audit
• external public audit
• supreme audit institutions
• public finances