New IJF now accepts submissions exclusively via the Editorial Scholar portal — a dedicated submission & review system.
Go to Editorial Scholar →
Associated Management Consultants Pvt. Ltd. | COPE Member
Scopus Q2 UGC-CARE |
Indian Journal of Finance logo

Indian Journal of Finance

ISSN: 0973-8711 Frequency: Monthly Peer Review: Double-blind Published since: 2007 Language: English
A publication of AMCPL
amcon.co.in
New Delhi, India
Indexed in: Scopus Q2 UGC-CARE Group II Google Scholar J-Gate NISCAIR Crossref

Original Article

Open Access Original Article

Audits by Comptroller and Auditor General of India and Their Contribution to Accountability in Development Cooperation Projects

Shourjo Chatterjee1,  Rajit Verma2

1 PhD Scholar, Chitkara Business School, Chitkara University (Punjab), Chandigarh-Patiala National Highway (NH-64) Rajpura - 140 401, Punjab

2 Associate Professor, Chitkara Business School, Chitkara University (Punjab), Chandigarh-Patiala National Highway (NH-64), Rajpura - 140 401, Punjab

Volume 16
Issue 8
Pages 46–62
Year 2022
Received: June 30, 2021 Accepted: June 15, 2022 Published: Aug. 1, 2022
Abstract

Audit of development cooperation projects by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) contributes to ensuring accountability in using development cooperation funds. The present study examined such contribution to five different types of accountability: financial accountability, compliance accountability, performance accountability, accountability to stakeholders, and constitutional accountability based on the analysis of findings presented in the CAG's audit reports. The study examined the audit reports for six states of India – Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal for six years with findings on World Bank and Asian Development Bank projects. The sample states were selected based on stratified random sampling, with one state each drawn from each of the six geographical regions of India. Further, the study analyzed three essential aspects of management of development cooperation projects such as project planning, project implementation & monitoring, and financial management, along with their relevant sub-categories like the number of findings; money value as a measure of the materiality of the findings; and the yearly consistency. The study's conclusions based on the different findings presented in audit reports revealed that CAG's audit reports contributed substantially to the respective types of accountability.

Keywords Accountability audit audit report development cooperation projects Comptroller and Auditor General supreme audit institution
How to Cite

Shourjo Chatterjee, Rajit Verma (2022). Audits by Comptroller and Auditor General of India and Their Contribution to Accountability in Development Cooperation Projects. Indian Journal of Finance, 16(8), 46–62. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijf/2022/v16i8/171374

References
  1. Agyemang, G., O’Dwyer, B., Unerman, J., & Awumbila, M. (2017). Seeking “conversations for accountability”: Mediating the impact of non-governmental organization (NGO) upward accountability processes. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 30(5), 982–1007. https://doi.org/10.1108/AAAJ-02-2015-1969
  2. Asongu, S. A., & Nwachukwu, J. C. (2016). Foreign aid and governance in Africa. International Review of Applied Economics, 30(1), 69–88. https://doi.org/10.1080/02692171.2015.1074164
  3. Assakaf, E. A., Samsudin, R. S., & Othman, Z. (2018). Public sector auditing and corruption: A literature review. Asian Journal of Finance & Accounting, 10(1), 226–241. https://doi.org/10.5296/ajfa.v10i1.13029
  4. Easterly, W., & Pfutze, T. (2008). Where does the money go? Best and worst practices in foreign aid. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 22(2), 29–52. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.22.2.29
  5. Furqan, A. C., Wardhani, R., Martani, D., & Setyaningrum, D. (2020). The effect of audit findings and audit recommendation follow-up on the financial report and public service quality in Indonesia. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 33(5), 535–559. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPSM-06-2019-0173
  6. Gstoettner, M., & Jensen, A. (2010). Aid and public finance: A missing link? Atlantic Economic Journal, 38, 217–223. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11293-010-9225-3
  7. Kaur, M., & Vij, M. (2020). Analyzing the impact of political stability on FDI inflows in SAARC nations : A panel ARDL cointegration approach. Indian Journal of Finance, 14(12), 8–24. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijf/2020/v14i12/156481
  8. Kaushal, N. (2019). An estimation of comptroller and auditor general of India as supreme audit authority of India. Public Affairs and Governance, 7(2), 105–114. https://doi.org/10.5958/2321-2136.2019.00008.0
  9. Kim, T., & Lim, S. (2017). Forging soft accountability in unlikely settings: A conceptual analysis of mutual accountability in the context of South-South cooperation. Global Governance, 23(2), 183–203. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44861119
  10. Loke, C. H., Ismail, S., & Hamid, F. A. (2016). The perception of public sector auditors on performance audit in Malaysia: An exploratory study. Asian Review of Accounting, 24(1), 90–104. https://doi.org/10.1108/ARA-12-2013-0082
  11. Maama, H., & Marimuthu, F. (2020). Accountability in the Ghanaian local governance structure: Probing the role of external auditing. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 18(4), 475–485. http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.18(4).2020.38
  12. Marjit, S., & Mukherjee, V. (2016). Does foreign aid corrupt? A theoretical note. In, S. Banerjee, V. Mukherjee, & S. Haldar (eds.), Understanding development. India Studies in Business and Economics (pp. 115–123). Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-2455-6_8
  13. Morin, D. (2014). Auditors General's impact on administrations: A pan-Canadian study (2001-2011). Managerial Auditing Journal, 29(5), 395–426. https://doi.org/10.1108/MAJ-10-2013-0948
  14. Nunnenkamp, P., Öhler, H., & Andrés M. S. (2017). Need, merit and politics in multilateral aid allocation: A district-level analysis of World Bank projects in India. Review of Development Economics, 21(1), 126–156. https://doi.org/10.1111/rode.12259
  15. Nzewi, O., & Musokeru, P. (2014). A critical review of the oversight role of the Office of the Auditor-General in financial accountability. Africa's Public Service Delivery and Performance Review, 2(1), 36–55. https://doi.org/10.4102/apsdpr.v2i1.42
  16. O'Dwyer, B., & Boomsma, R. (2015). The co-construction of NGO accountability: Aligning imposed and felt accountability in NGO-funder accountability relationships. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 28(1), 36–68. https://doi.org/10.1108/AAAJ-10-2013-1488
  17. Rasche, A., & Esser, D. E. (2006). From stakeholder management to stakeholder accountability. Journal of Business Ethics, 65, 251–267. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-005-5355-y
  18. Reichborn-Kjennerud, K., & Johnsen, Å. (2018). Performance audits and supreme audit institutions' impact on public administration: The case of the office of the auditor general in Norway. Administration & Society, 50(10), 1422–1446. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095399715623315
  19. Sahoo, K., & Sethi, N. (2013). Effect of foreign aid on economic growth and development in India: An empirical analysis. South Asian Journal of Management, 20(1), 114–138.
  20. Sakthivel, A. V. (2021). Effects of US policies on the Afghan national economy: A quantitative analysis. Arthshastra Indian Journal of Economics & Research, 10(2–3), 62–70. https://doi.org/10.17010/aijer/2021/v10i2-3/167175
  21. Sen, R. (2013). Going beyond mere accounting: The changing role of India's Auditor General. The Journal of Asian Studies, 72(4), 801–811. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021911813001642
  22. Sharma, R. N., & Kumar, S. B. (2018). C&AG of India: An instrument to enhance accountability, probity and good governance. Indian Journal of Public Administration, 64(3), 454–472. https://doi.org/10.1177/0019556118780111
  23. Steurer, R., Langer, M. E., Konrad, A., & Martinuzzi, A. (2005). Corporations, stakeholders and sustainable development I: A theoretical exploration of business-society relations. Journal of Business Ethics, 61, 263–281. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-005-7054-0
  24. Sunil, N., Purswani, G., & Benny, N. R. (2019) Interrelationship and interdependence among macroeconomic variables in India. Arthashastra Indian Journal of Economics & Research, 8(1), 50–60. https://doi.org/10.17010/aijer/2019/v8i1/142714
  25. Verma, N., & Saharan, S. (2019). An analysis of equity and accountability in MGNREGS: A study of Haryana in India. Arthashastra Indian Journal of Economics and Research, 8(2), 45–54. https://doi.org/10.17010/aijer/2019/v8i2/145225
  26. Wenar, L. (2006). Accountability in international development aid. Ethics & International Affairs, 20(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-7093.2006.00001.x
  27. Winters, M. S. (2014). Targeting, accountability and capture in development projects. International Studies Quarterly, 58(2), 393–404. https://doi.org/10.1111/isqu.12075
Editorial Scholar

Submit your Research to IJF

Submit your Manuscript → Author Guidelines