Monitoring Public Money

A major component to corruption prevention by parliament and other branches of government is regarding the way the government spends public money. When there are opportunities and incentives for government officials to spend poorly, or steal from the public purse, there can be problems that run deep into the public systems.

Because the spending of public money so important, countries have developed procedures to oversee how the government is managing its money. The head of the government must explain how much money the government plans to spend in the coming year and how it will be budgeted according to parliament’s approval. Throughout the year the government is required to keep financial records to show that it adhered to the budget, with the help and monitoring of government auditors.