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Public sector audit in uncertain times
Author(s) -
Cordery Carolyn J.,
Hay David C.
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
financial accountability and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.661
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1468-0408
pISSN - 0267-4424
DOI - 10.1111/faam.12299
Subject(s) - isomorphism (crystallography) , legitimacy , debt , accounting , public sector , audit , business , public economics , economics , public administration , finance , political science , economy , law , chemistry , politics , crystal structure , crystallography
In the future, environmental disasters and resource constraints will continue to impact the public sector audit environment. Governments will be held responsible for their responses and the corresponding financial impacts, particularly rising levels of public debt. Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) are vital in keeping governments accountable. Yet, they also need legitimacy and they are subject to isomorphic pressures to gain this. Mimetic isomorphism explains SAIs’ structures, although they remain diverse, worldwide. Our analysis of extensive data about SAIs together with statistical measures about countries, an international survey and document analysis enables us to make projections about what isomorphic pressures will shape SAIs and enable them to deal with an uncertain future. Examining public debt and the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals as case studies, we show how isomorphism will shape SAIs’ responses to an uncertain future.