A policy community or audit for accountability? Inspections-strategies in smoother inspections of the Swedish welfare bureaucracy
Start date: 2025-09-01
End date: 2027-12-31
Although the IAF and ISF are auditing perhaps the two most central welfare systems, they have not been explored as actors in their policy areas, and we know very little about their strategies and ideals in their inspections. IAF's and ISF's inspection differ from all other forms, in particular from regular supervision, as it lacks sanction rights in the form of being able to close down the activity they review. The relationship between the auditor and the auditee can therefore become more horizontal, and the auditor may be dependent on the auditee in the auditing process. Thus, research of this of inspections raises the questions of how auditors and auditees are linked and interrelated, and how the relationship can affect auditing to be a key tool by which performance in public services is made governable and values such as transparency and accountability are promoted.