Contributions of internal control to public governance: a study of the perception of internal auditors of federal educational institutions

Abstract

Purpose: The article aims to analyze the perception of Internal Auditors of Federal Educational Institutions regarding the contributions of Internal Control to Public Governance. Methodology: Regarding the technical procedures for collecting research data, a structured questionnaire (Survey) with multiple choices was used, on a 10 (ten) point scale with alternatives of no agreement/a lot of agreement, with 1 being no agreement and 10 being very agreement. The analysis was carried out using Factor Analysis. Results: As a result of the research, it was identified that the factors: Risk-Based Audit Planning, Transparency, Public Integrity and Accountability, obtained the highest averages as contributions of internal control to public governance in the perception of the responding auditors. Factors such as the Provision of Consulting Services and Society Participation presented the lowest averages among the factors analyzed. After the factor analysis, it was found that the first factor, Adherence to International Auditing Standards, presents approximately 59.7% of the explanatory power of the variances contained in the sample. According to the auditors' perception, adherence or alignment with international auditing standards is representative of the evolution of the governance process in federal public administration. Contributions of the Study: The study contributes to the discussion on public governance regarding the contributions of internal control to its development. The results suggest that the process of adhering to international auditing standards is an irreversible process and recognized as necessary for the development of governance in the federal public sector, given that this adherence to international auditing standards presents itself as a factor with greater explanatory power in the analysis, signaling that for public administration to follow the evolution of its governance, it must remain integrated with international standards and best practices.