The perceived Need for Audit and Audit Quality in the Public Sector : a Study of Public Corporations in Liberia

Sammanfattning: Audit quality plays an important role in the public sector, especially in an emerging market. However, there is no specific concept that defines and measures the term audit quality.  There is a gap of conceptual framework in the public sector the public sector that explains the need for audit and the attributes of audit quality. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore the need for audit and the attributes of audit quality perceived by middle and senior management staff in public Corporation in Liberia. This study employs a qualitatitive research methodology. We collected primary data through email interviews that consisted of 8 participants from 5 different public Corporations in Liberia. we used Thematic (Template) analysis to summarize the data collected. The findings show that auditing in Public Corporation in Liberia is needed to ensure transparency and  accountability, agency/monitoring improved internal control, and business processes, as well as confidence and assurance for stakeholders. Furthermore, middle and senior management staff perceived that auditor's independence, auditors' competence, and audit partner or manager's attention to the audit, as well as audit personnel salaries, are important attributes that influence audit quality in public corporations in Liberia.Our findings form the basis for a conceptual framework for public sector auditing in a developing country.