Institutional paradigm of audit: multidisciplinary discourse

The article is devoted to interdisciplinary discussion on economic theory and audit. The institutional approach in Russia is represented by a new institutional economic theory and economic sociology. The scientific community notes that techniques of institutional economics may be used todevelop a wide range of problems. Institutions need to be studied and measured, and it will reduce the uncertainty of economic systems. The purpose of the research is to develop a set of theoretical provisions related to the generalization of institutional ideas about audit. Scientific novelty is development of a conceptual scheme of the institute of audit from a position of system economic theory. The analysis of the possibility and necessity to use new approaches while overviewing audit is performed. One of them is the institutional approach which is necessary to use as a form and method of research. The process of changing the paradigm of audit science is justified. The hypothesis on the applicability of tools of institutional economic theory in sectoral economic studies with the priority of neo-institutionalism is proved. The category “approach to research” is studied with justifying the special role of the aspect approach together with the system and conceptual approaches, and options for integrating approaches are highlighted. The evolution of audit research, based on institutional theory, is analyzed using works of foreign authors from the USA, Great Britain, Pakistan, the Netherlands, Libya, Malaysia, Australia, France, Canada, Germany, and Ukraine. Scientific priorities of applying institutional level of studies are established, and features of the system interpretation of institutions are highlighted. Audit problems are identified, the crisis in the audit activity of the Russian Federation is noted, and it justifies the need to develop the new institutional audit theory. The structure of the institutional approach to audit has been expanded to include three areas: philosophical, methodological, and institutional analysis. A conceptual structural scheme, based on the system methodology of G.B. Kleiner, is presented. It considers established functional interconnections between subsystems of the audit institute. Scientific provisions of the audit institute as an object, environment, process, project, and its reliability are substantiated. At the same time, the donor-recipient interconnections between the project and the environment in the structure of the institute of audit are established. It is shown that the environmental impact on the project is carried out through processes and objects. The institute of audit as a project is represented by the most significant element within the stagnation of audit activity, its essential characteristics are highlighted: audit policy, development strategy, audit innovations, adaptation of international standards of audit, the concept of audit development. The subject of further studies could be the identification of the degree of the audit institute’s subsystem balance, its measurement by calculating the potential (“capacity”) and the intensity of exchange between subsystems.