The Effect of Audit Committee Characteristics on Corporate Governance Performance: A Systematic Review of Committee Size, Independence, Expertise, and Meeting Frequency

This paper integrates research related to the relation between audit committee composition and corporate governance performance. We will concentrate on four aspects that are present in the literature (committee size, independence, financial expertise, and meeting frequency) and determine how each aspect contributes to the board's monitoring role in corporate governance. Research design and methodology. This is a systematic literature review (SLR) based on the PRISMA methodology. Peer-reviewed articles including combinations of the keywords "audit committee", "corporate governance", "board characteristics", "independence", "financial expertise", "meeting frequency" published in Scopus, Web of Science or Google Scholar between 2015 and 2026 were selected. The synthesis was done under the auspices of agency theory and resource dependence theory. Findings. The findings show that there is a complex, multi-dimensional relationship and that both independence and financial expertise are positively related to governance performance, while the impact of both size and frequency of meetings is context specific, dependent on the independence and financial expertise of the committee. Decisions. Boards, as well as regulators, should view the audit committee composition as an integrated, interactive package, rather than a simple checklist of separate aspects. Implications. Companies have to hire independent and financially savvy board members, determine audit committee size dependent on the size and complexity of the business, and ensure that meetings are held to implement oversight functions, rather than fill a legal requirement.