Performance Audits with Focus on the Principle of Effectiveness: a Brief Overview of the Brazilian Courts of Accounts

Abstract

According to the standards of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions
(INTOSAI), performance audit consists of independent and objective examination of the aspects
of economy, efficiency, efficacy, and effectiveness of governmental organizations, programs, and
activities, in order to assess the performance of public management. Given the relevance of the
topic, this article aims to investigate whether the performance audits carried out by the Brazilian
courts of accounts analyze the effectiveness of public expenditure, that is, if the impact generated
on the target population is measured. For this purpose, a questionnaire was sent to auditors of the
Brazilian courts of accounts, whose preliminary result stressed that performance audits in Brazil
only analyze economy, efficiency, and efficacy regarding public expenditure.