The Nexus between Good Corporate Governance, Internal Control, and Fraud Prevention: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Fraud remains a persistent global threat, causing trillions of dollars in economic losses annually. This study systematically reviews and meta-analyzes the nexus between good corporate governance (GCG), internal control (IC), and fraud prevention. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a comprehensive search across nine academic databases initially identified 1,000 records. After removing duplicates and executing a rigorous multi-stage screening based on strict inclusion criteria, 283 empirical studies (2016–2025) were retained for systematic review, with 212 studies providing sufficient effect size parameters for a quantitative random-effects meta-analysis. The results reveal that IC exerts a stronger direct effect on fraud prevention (pooled β = 0.48, 95% CI [0.43, 0.53]) than GCG (pooled β = 0.36, 95% CI [0.31, 0.41]). Crucially, GCG significantly moderates the IC–fraud relationship (β interaction = 0.21, 95% CI [0.15, 0.27]) across 62 explicit studies, confirming complementarity theory. Grounded in contingency theory, subgroup analysis proves that contextual factors heavily condition these mechanisms; the banking sector exhibits the most robust governance safeguards, whereas political interference weakens GCG impacts within public sector organizations. This study proposes a cohesive contingency model of governance effectiveness, offering precise, context-specific frameworks for regulators and practitioners.