A Critical Review of Antecedents of Unauthorised Extra-Budgetary Expenditure: Application of Fraud Triangle Theory

Abstract

Unauthorised extra-budgetary expenditures continue to pose threats to achieving and sustaining fiscal stability. It has resulted in budget overruns which have contributed to the rapid growth in government spending and borrowing pushing countries down toward an unsustainable economic path. It is against these that this paper sought to critically review unauthorised extra-budgetary expenditure, antecedents, and consequences. The paper applied fraud triangle theory (FTT) to conceptualise antecedents of unauthorised extra-budgetary expenditure. Three factors have been identified as antecedents of extra-budgetary expenditures through a critical analysis of the fraud triangle theory. These are budgetary system failure, political economy, and community of economy. The paper sought papers from Google scholar, Google, and Scopus databases. Scopus database was used to conduct bibliometric analysis using the “Biblioshiny” function in the “bibliometrix” package subsequent to the development of the theoretical framework and manual search from Google and Google scholar to determine the depth of empirical studies on the subject. The paper proposed three propositions and a theoretical framework to guide future research. It was also revealed that unauthorised extra-budgetary expenditure limits the success of fiscal consolidation. It is also deleterious to budgetary gains and savings and will adversely affect the health of economies. It also pushes an economy toward a distressing economic path through high public debts to finance such expenditures.