Contribution of internal audit to the governance of public establishments and enterprises subject to support control: Exploratory study

Abstract

Corporate governance, essential for the performance and stability of public establishments and enterprises, involves principles and mechanisms governing relations between stakeholders. In this context, internal audit has become an important element, assessing governance, risk and control. The objective of our article will be to study its contribution to good governance in public establishments and companies subject to accompanying control. Internal audit, adapted to public specificities, assesses governance, risks and internal controls. Our methodological approach is qualitative and exploratory based on semi-directive interviews (5 people interviewed). The results of the exploratory study affirm the existence of the contribution of the internal audit function to the good governance of public establishments and companies subject to accompanying control through the following factors: The existence of an audit body 'Internal Audit ; Respect for standards and fundamentals; The regularity of internal audit activity; The institutional environment of internal audit; Internal audit contingency factors; The degree of implementation of the recommendations. However, study results may be sensitive to temporal context. The conclusions strongly depend on the economic, political or organizational environment of the study period.

Key words: internal audit, governance of public establishments and companies; accompanying control                             Classification JEL: M42, M48                    

Paper type : Exploratory study