In order to verify these hypotheses, the authors carried out an online survey in Spain, aimed at internal auditors -
General Auditors (Intervención General) and external auditors (OCEX) in Spanish local government. As
mentioned before, these two groups are responsible for internal and external control both in terms of legality and
performance, in accordance with Spanish local government regulations. The consideration of their opinion and
their different views is core to understanding the impact of control processes over the outcomes studied.
Regarding internal auditors, it is also of relevance to investigate the differences in opinion depending on the
town administrated by the council to which the internal auditor belongs. The size of the town (number of
inhabitants) is associated with the size of the local authority and the volume of resources available for control.
This might mean different internal control systems depending on the size of the council.
The data collection period was April 2011 to January 2012. Prior to its launch, a pre-test was applied and the
online platform used was validated by a group of experts from the faculty to which the authors are attached.
Hypothesis 3: Local government should undertake self-evaluations on its performance and results, contributing
to assist in the work of external auditing.
Hypothesis 4: Local government should, through its internal control system, put in place compulsory indicators
of economy, effectiveness and efficiency for each service.