Public-private partnerships and audits – International overview and domestic experience

As a result of aging societies, during the last fifteen years the scope of government responsibilities and public services has been reconsidered especially in Europe. Governments face similar problems nearly everywhere: while there is an increasing social demand for public health, education etc. services, the workforce is decreasing. At the same time, unemployment figures are high: the number of those out of work exceeds 5 million in Germany, for example. Due to the demographic trends and the high unemployment rate, the revenues that can be centralised are continuously shrinking, but more and more expenditure is generated. Therefore, governments should seek to answer questions such as how to provide services at the highest possible standards when less and less sources are available, how to make services more efficient when the available funds are decreasing and how to involve external sources to supplement the poor state funds in order to provide public services.