This text argues that the rise of auditing has its roots in political demands for accountability and control. Michael Power argues that the new demands and expectations of audits live uneasily with their operational capabilities.

Introduction ; Preface ; 1: The Audit Society: General Themes ; 2: The Rise of Audit ; 3: The Audit Explosion ; 4: Audit and the Dialectic of Regulatory Failure ; 5: Audit Knowledge and the Construction of Auditees ; 6: Beyond Audit, Towards Trust ; Notes ; Bibliography

`The book appears just when we need it ... a valuable book.' Financial Times `This splendid book tracks what has been happening to the auditing profession in the context of the recent 'managerial turn' ... This is a breath of fresh air.' LSE Magazine `This book is valuable precisely because of the obscurity of its subject. Very little has been written about the purpose, context, or process of auditing. This book, therefore, fills a gap. I would recommend this book for managers and physicians interested in understanding and appraising more critically the role of audit in their ogranisations.' Lois Quam, BMJ Volume 316, 1998 This is a book for the times...It is wide-ranging and perceptive, showing the fruitfulness of Power's original training in critical philosophy combined with his later specialization in financial accounting...the book provides the most coherent challenge to the audit explosion that has been offered to date. - Christopher Hood. London School of Economics. 18/1/1998 ..subtle, stimulating and important book. - Rudolf Klein. University of Bath. 1998. This is a book for the times. It will resonate instantly with hard-pressed UK public-sector professionals. It is wede-ranging and perceptive, s howing the fruitfulness of Power's original training in criticalphilosophy combined with his later specialization in financial accounting. The book provides the most coherent challenge to the audit explosion that has been offered to date. - Christopher Hood. Journal of Public Policy. 18/1/1998.