Rationale of Establishing Public Accounts Committees: A Critical Review of Literature

Abstract

According to the UK Parliament, “The Public Accounts Committee examines the value for money of Government projects, programmes, and service delivery. Drawing on the work of the National Audit Office the Committee holds government officials to account for the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of public spending.” Therefore, the purpose of this study is to provide the background information on the creating of Public Accounts Committees (Parliament). The paper further attempts to cover issues relating to external audit and legislative scrutiny. The paradigm for the Public Accounts Committees is also covered in this article. In this article, a critical review of literature has been used as a methodology. The key literature reviewed is from Google Scholar and EbscoHost, Researchgate, and other scholarly databases. Further, websites for some Parliaments and associations for parliaments across the globe have been an invaluable source of information on this subject. From the literature that has been reviewed it can be concluded that both Public Accounts Committees (PACs) and Auditors General can help to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) or international capital investment to a country by providing assurances on the integrity of public sector finances, especially if challenges faced in building their capacity and performing their functions can be overcome. Keywords: Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Auditor General’s Office, Legislative Scrutiny DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/12-6-03 Publication date: August 31 st 2022