Anti-corruption Policies Research Articles

Forecast of Corruption: From Ethical to Pragmatic Considerations

From an ethical standpoint, combating corruption is crucial for promoting justice and equality. The rule of law and ethical governance involves clear standards of behavior for public servants and mechanisms for ensuring these standards are upheld. Corruption undermines public trust in government and democratic institutions and exacerbates social inequality and injustice (disproportionately affects the poor and marginalized groups, denying them access to essential services and opportunities). The fight against corruption during a full-scale war has ethical and purely pragmatic implications for Ukraine, the data of which formed the basis of this study. The lack of tangible progress in the fight against corruption in general, the lack of transparency of many institutional mechanisms in public administration, the revealed corruption schemes in the distribution of international military and humanitarian aid, as well as in the field of public defence procurement, the lack of punishment for corrupt officials in the highest echelons of power threaten the loyalty of international donors and allies, reduce Ukraine’s authority in the international arena, slows down Ukraine’s movement towards the EU, and significantly affects the decisions of foreign partners. The article demonstrates the results of forecasting the future level of corruption in Ukraine (for 2024‒2027) based on the retrospective dynamics of the Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International for 1998‒2023. Two economic and mathematical models are used for forecasting: Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA), which better reflects long-term historical trends and fluctuations, and the exponential smoothing method, which is more sensitive to the latest values of the time series. The statistical analysis package STATISTICA was used for the calculations. The forecasting results are disappointing since both methods showed an expected decrease in the level of corruption in 2024-2027, but in critically low volumes: by 1 point according to the ARIMA model and by 3-4 points according to the exponential smoothing method. The results of this study can serve as a basis for public advocacy campaigns as an argument for the need to radically revise the existing format of anti-corruption policy in Ukraine given its European future.

Digitalization and foreign direct investment performance: The moderating role of corruption and judicial independence

The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between digitalization and foreign direct investment (FDI) and test whether corruption (COR) and judicial independence (JUD) moderate this relationship. The sample contains 114 countries during 2016. The author obtains FDI data from the World Development Indicator (WDI) database, which was published by the World Bank in 2016. The World Bank’s digital adoption index (DAI) for 2016 was used to collect digitalization proxies. Finally, the remaining variables are gathered from the Global Competitiveness Report for the same year. Results show a positive and significant association between digitalization and foreign direct investment. This positive association remains stable and more pronounced and significant in countries with low levels of corruption, while it becomes weak and non-significant in countries with high levels of corruption. When the moderating effect of judicial independence is tested on the association between digitalization and foreign direct investment, the positive association between the two variables remains positive but more pronounced and significant in countries with high judicial independence systems, while it becomes low pronounced and non-significant in countries with low judicial independence systems. The findings emphasize the importance of decreasing corruption and strengthening judicial independence in order to maintain the positive relationship between digitization and FDI. Therefore, investors prefer stable environments with transparent legal systems, making anti-corruption policies and independent judiciaries critical in attracting and retaining FDI. These initiatives promote trust, foster a favorable business climate, and ensure that digitalization contributes to long-term economic progress.

Good governance in autocratic international organizations

AbstractA large and growing number of international organizations (IOs) are made up and governed by illiberal or outright authoritarian regimes. Many of these authoritarian IOs (AIOs) formally adopt good governance mandates, linking goals like democracy promotion, anti-corruption policies and human rights to their broader mission. Why do some AIOs adopt good governance mandates that appear to conflict with the norms and standards these regimes apply at home? We argue that AIOs adopt good governance mandates when they face substantial pressure from inside or outside the IO to adopt them. Central to our argument is that not all aspects of good governance are inherently or equally threatening to autocratic regimes. They pursue strategies that minimize the threat by externalizing policy outside the membership and strategically defining the goals to avoid or enact. This allows autocratic governments to uptake good governance talk but lessen any deep commitment to the norms and sometimes even to use them strategically to project their own power outside of the organization. Using data on 48 regional IOs with primarily autocratic membership between 1945 and 2015, we demonstrate that AIOs facing pressure from external good governance promoters will adopt good governance mandates but strategically shape those mandates in their favor if they can form bargaining coalitions with like-minded governments. The findings have sobering implications for the future of good governance promotion through IOs.

TYPOLOGIZATION OF ANTI-CORRUPTION MONITORING LEGISLATION OF CONSTITUENT ENTITIES OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

The purpose of the work is to identify regional features of the legislative consolidation of anti-corruption monitoring and typology of legislation in Russian regions. The formal-logical method of studying legal norms was used as a basic methodological approach. He helped establish general trends in the legal regulation of anti-corruption monitoring in regional laws. The dialectical approach helped to analyze individual special norms and identify the features of monitoring measures in those subjects of the federation where an attempt at fragmented regulation was made. The author also used discursive, formal legal and textual research methods. The main result should be the alignment of regional legislation into three groups, depending on the consolidation of the institution of anti-corruption monitoring. The author states that the concept of anti-corruption monitoring established in the legislation of individual Russian regions needs to be adjusted taking into account theoretical developments. At the same time, it must be enshrined in federal legislation in order to unify regional legal norms. The absence of systemic norms on anti-corruption monitoring at the federal level is dictated by the peculiarities of the delimitation of jurisdiction between the Russian Federation and Russian regions in the field of anti-corruption policy

Strategi Peningkatan Tata Kelola Koperasi dalam Upaya Mencegah Praktik Tidak Sehat pada KSP Kopdit Pintu Air Cabang Koting

This research aims to find out the strategy for improving cooperative governance in an effort to prevent unhealthy practices at KSP Kopdit Pintu Air Koting Branch. To identify problems, this research uses qualitative research. The data collection techniques use observation, interviews and documentation. It can be concluded that things that cause unhealthy practices include lack of transparency and lack of accountability, lack of internal supervision, and non-compliance with rules and regulations. Efforts to improve cooperative governance to prevent unhealthy practices include transparency and accountability, member participation, formation of supervisory committees, anti-corruption policies and business ethics, and ongoing evaluation. Keywords : Improvement of Cooperative Governance, Unhealthy Practices

Self-selection or situational stratification? A quasiexperimental study on social class differences in health behaviors in China

Fundamental cause theory suggests that differences in social status lead to health inequalities, with lifestyle serving as the intermediary mechanism. This study uses multiple waves of data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) to first explore differences in drinking, smoking, and physical exercise across different social classes and finds that managers have significantly greater tendencies toward risky health behaviors such as drinking and smoking. Subsequently, the study examines changes in class differences in drinking behavior with respect to the anticorruption policy. The results show that neither lifestyle transition theory nor the self-selection mechanism can fully explain the phenomenon of managers drinking more. Health stratification is not a simple reflection of the socioeconomic status gradient, and there is an urgent need to rethink the theoretical framework of social stratification that emphasizes microlevel individual practices as a direct reflection of macrostructural positions.

Административно-правовой механизм предупреждения коррупционных рисков государственных служащих

The article deals with the issues of preventing corruption in the public service system. The analysis of anti-corruption methods is carried out. Reasonable proposals are made to improve the Russian anti-corruption policy.

MEANS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW TO ELIMINATE CORRUPTION THREATS TO NATIONAL SECURITY

The subject of the article is the means of international law to eliminate corruption threats to national security. The research methodology involved the use of logical, historical and legal, systemic, natural law, formal and dogmatic, hermeneutical, economic and legal (analysis, comparison), axiological, statistical and economic methods. The purpose of the article is to reveal the means of international law to eliminate corruption threats to national security. Carrying out the study made it possible to draw the following conclusions. It was found that most countries of the world have implemented international anti-corruption norms into their national legal frameworks and have the support of international organisations specialising in the fight against corruption. The resources of foreign legal doctrine become an important source of support for domestic scientists to convince of the correctness of their scientific conclusions regarding successful anti-corruption measures. An extensive system of international anti-corruption assistance allows to minimise the costs of own relevant infrastructure. On this basis and against the background of access to powerful anti-corruption resources at the European and world level, there is essentially sabotage of anti-corruption policy in Ukraine, which has critically affected the security of the Ukrainian nation. It was emphasised that military threats from the outside are an exceptional danger for corrupt countries. At the same time, even the stabilising effect of microcorruption becomes dangerous for them in today's unstable development environment. All the positive effects of corruption in the form of improved communication through small gifts that comply with legal customs disappear when top corruption spreads in a country. Then this level of corruption multiplies a series of official crimes, treason and other crimes that destroy the foundations of national security. Already after the point of no return – the beginning of military aggression from outside against the background of prolonged high-level corruption inside the country – external support for anti-corruption reforms becomes a condition for the survival of the nation, the reduction of human losses in the war, and so forth. The need to neutralise these two challenges to national security becomes urgent after years of procrastination on accountability and other dimensions of integrity in public positions. In these cases, the national legal standard falls under the critical conditions of ultra-fast transformation, according to the successful anti-corruption models of countries that saved their nation from war and high-level corruption. It is noted that the standards set for Ukraine are quite close. These are EU standards, which are achieved through the adoption and implementation of those legal norms that reflect the current state of ensuring human opportunities. It is stressed that the specification of anti-corruption norms and the structural units of their implementation in legal reality are nativemorphic. They always differ in the degree of unification within the contexts common to nations, namely, legal traditions, mentality, historical conditions, economy, etc. Transnational anti-corruption assistance in the mutual enrichment of some nations through the possibility of using the experience of other nations. The author concludes that knowledge about the practices of building virtuous relations is the capital of the nation that possesses it. Conscious disregard of this knowledge by the recipient should be remedied by charging a fee for it. It is proposed to establish an International Organisation for Integrity Development, which would include the top 20 countries in terms of corruption and rule of law perception indices.

An Exploratory Study on the Impact of Corruption Factors on the Likelihood of Public Corruption Occurring : Focusing on the Moderating Effect of the Effectiveness of Anti-Corruption Policy Tools

An Exploratory Study on the Impact of Corruption Factors on the Likelihood of Public Corruption Occurring : Focusing on the Moderating Effect of the Effectiveness of Anti-Corruption Policy Tools

Anti-corruption disclosure: evidence from the natural experiment of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive

Drawing upon institutional theory, we investigate how companies react to coercive pressures which impose anti-corruption disclosure practices. We adopt the concept of change in the institutionalized field and investigate the impact of the natural experiment of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) implementation on a company’s choice for disclosing its anti-corruption policy. We examine the relationship between firm linkages with the external environment, proxied by board independence and ownership dispersion, and anti-corruption disclosure. We use a sample of 72 companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange over the period of 2015–2019 that were subject to the NFRD legislation. The evidence from the Tobit model shows that the linkages with the external environment differentiate company reactions to the implementation of the mandatory reporting legislation. In particular, greater company linkages via interdependent directors and ownership dispersion increase the scope of the anti-corruption disclosure in the post-NFRD period. Our study offers policy implications suggesting that corporate scrutiny and exposure to external constituencies may improve implementation of legislation into company practice and enhance anti-corruption disclosure.

Membangun Sistem Hukum Pancasila Yang Merdeka Dari Korupsi Dan Menjunjung Hak Asasi Manusia (Ham)

Developing a legal system based on Pancasila that is free from corruption and upholds human rights (HAM) is an important challenge in strengthening the foundations of democracy and justice in Indonesia. A legal system based on Pancasila values ​​must be able to provide fair and equitable protection for all citizens in the country, while maintaining independence from corrupt practices that damage and affect the integrity of legal institutions. On the other hand, upholding Human Rights (HAM) must also be a top priority in efforts to ensure justice and dignity for every individual. In achieving these goals, concrete steps need to be taken. Firstly, in-depth legal reform is needed to align legal regulations with Pancasila values, strengthen the independence of law enforcement institutions, and increase transparency and accountability in the justice system. Second, eradicating corruption must be the main focus, by implementing very strong anti-corruption policies, strengthening law enforcement institutions, and encouraging active community participation in monitoring and preventing corruption. In addition, the government's efforts to protect Human Rights (HAM) must be increased through strict law enforcement against human rights violations, strengthening institutions for the protection of Human Rights (HAM), and increasing public awareness about human rights. This is important to ensure that every individual has equal access to justice and legal protection, without discrimination or oppression.

Determination of the state of methodological support for the study of state anti-corruption policy in Ukraine

Determination of the state of methodological support for the study of state anti-corruption policy in Ukraine

Foreign experience of implementing ethical values in the anti-corruption policy of private and public sector organizations

The author analyzed and systematized the experience of foreign countries regarding the peculiarities of the implementation of ethical values in the anti-corruption policy of private and public sector organizations. Senior management when implementing anti­corruption standards, regardless of the form of ownership of the organization, when making management decisions, should be guided by their own ethical beliefs regarding their actions, display of integrity, ethics, influence on employees of lower management levels regarding the example of the prevalence of anti-corruption standards when making management decisions. The importance of the Codes of Ethics in encouraging the top management of the USA, EU, and Great Britain in the formation of organizational ethics and the reputation of international companies was established, and the strategic importance of leadership in the prevention of corruption in the formation of anti-corruption programs and the fight against corruption risks was determined in his work on leadership in the prevention of corruption. The experience of the USA, the EU, and Great Britain has shown that compliance with ethical behavior by the middle and lower ranks and, accordingly, the reduction of corruption risks, is mainly implemented taking into account the example set by the management in conducting the company's business. It has been found that the main ways of creating an ethical atmosphere are: establishment of values and principles of the organization, approval of Codes of Ethics, internal control, accountability, regular informing and holding of training events by the management with its mandatory participation regarding ethical values, trust in the management and its personal compliance on issues of corporate ethics in the absence of an ethics officer position. The practice of management implementation of ethical values in the anti-corruption policy of public authorities in Australia has shown that the ways of such implementation can be: the introduction of external control procedures open to the public, as well as confidential reporting procedures for senior management. The experience of Liberia, Kenya, and Georgia regarding leadership and corruption in the management of companies and in the public service as one of the main causes of civil wars is analyzed. Positive practices regarding the use of anti-corruption policy and the establishment of the role of leaders in the management of African countries have become the implementation of anti-corruption policy and strategy in the top management of countries, decentralization of power and the practice of identifying and returning illegally obtained funds of government officials to state accounts. The author summarizes effective ways of implementing ethical values in public sector organizations, using the example of Georgia, namely: political loyalty of management in the field of management in the fight against corruption; implementation of e-governance and e-services, long-term investments in building a corporate ethical culture, implementation of a mechanism for direct access to information on combating bribery to the company's top management, and encouraging employees to report suspicious activity related to corruption. Using the example of Estonia, the peculiarities of the role of management in overcoming corruption, the implementation of anti-corruption initiatives, certain trends regarding the role of the leadership of the law enforcement sphere in anti-corruption policy have been established. Estonian legislation has formed trends regarding the identification of the role of management in the formation of anti­corruption culture in law enforcement agencies through organizational views on corruption and the views of managers on overcoming corruption, in particular: the openness of top management to discussing anti-corruption issues in relation to their own organizations; focus on the organizational culture of non-perception of corruption starting from the top management level; integration into everyday practice of existing ethical standards; prevention of corruption risks associated with senior officials of organizations.

Правовое регулирование мер по предупреждению коррупции в России и за рубежом

The anti-corruption policy of most states shows the systematic activity aimed at eradicating corruption and the causes that give rise to it. Priority within the framework of these activities is given to measures aimed at preventing corruption. Such activities are a set of state and public measures aimed at eliminating or neutralizing the causes and conditions of corruption or contributing to the solution of this problem. Analysis of the legislation of the Russian Federation and some foreign countries made it possible to identify a number of the most common measures used to prevent corruption. Among them are: legal and anti-corruption education for citizens and officials, applying ethical standards, anti-corruption analysis of regulatory legal acts and its projects, development of measures to resolve conflicts of interest, active involvement of civil society institutions in combating corruption, etc. Finally, the author concludes that the effectiveness of measures aimed at preventing corruption directly depends on an integrated approach, which requires not only improvement of legal regulation, but also level increase of legal consciousness of citizens, as well as the introduction of the latest ideas in management science and digital technologies.

Enhancing governance through anti-corruption strategies: Exemplary approaches and obstacles

The article examines the fight against corruption in contemporary public administration, specifically analysing the factors that affect the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures in the context of globalization and rapid technological development. One crucial aspect of successful anti-corruption policy is studying and applying best practices. This includes analysing the experiences of other countries and implementing international standards. Relevant government bodies should designate effective methods for detecting, preventing, and responding to corruption. The development of transparent and effective institutions is considered the foremost priority in anti-corruption management. Attention is drawn to the role of independent anti-corruption bodies in ensuring the effective functioning of the system. The research also focuses on interaction with the public and the role of citizens in the anti-corruption process. Ways to enhance civic awareness, legal culture, and active citizen participation in the fight against corruption are identified. An additional aspect of the analysis is the study of international experience and partnerships in anti-corruption programs. The paper evaluates the effectiveness of international cooperation and the implementation of best practices from other countries in combating corruption. It also identifies the main challenges that arise in implementing anti-corruption policies during times of war, such as resource shortages, the impact of globalization on corrupt practices, and adapting to changes in modern society. Developing strategies to overcome challenges is necessary to improve anti-corruption policy and create an effective system for combating corruption in all areas of society.

Quick Fix Solutions-Anticorruption as Core/Peripheral Modality of the ‘Rule of Law’

Anticorruption has become the fulcrum of conditionalities for unstable democracies. In the EU, antigraft packages formed the common denominator of stabilization policies for Romania, Bulgaria, the Western Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine. Union conditionalities trailed broader international trends and campaigns. The shift led to a crescendo of institutional innovations. Discursively, it generated a degree of conceptual overlap: anticorruption, for peripheral stabilization purposes, equates with the rule of law. I argue that the exclusive stress on anticorruption as a panacea for the (semi)periphery is fraught with perplexities. Paradoxically, in systems that can be reliably described as corrupt, the policy has a propensity to be derailed from its ostensible purposes. This danger results partly from categorial tensions between RoL normativity, on the one hand, and, on the other, the ethical purism and policy quantification inextricably linked with anticorruption. In the context of peripheral crusades, tendencies towards legal instrumentalism and populist emotionalism are exponentially higher than in stable jurisdictions. Consequently, unidirectional attempts to stabilize such systems by way of repressive anticorruption backfire. Likelier results are instability or forms of stability that might not correspond to central, received understandings of how a rule of law liberal-democratic system should operate. By the same token, in the integrated transnational constitutional system located at the intersection of EU and Council of Europe guarantees, “reverse conformities” tend to upset core tenets and representations of the rule of law. The paper argues that anticorruption policies, albeit eminently useful, should be fettered by rule of law constraints, not equated with the notion of the rule of law.

An assessment on the competencies in local governance among the punong barangays in the Municipality of Hadji Panglima Tahil, Province of Sulu

The study evaluates the competencies of Punong Barangays in Hadji Panglima Tahil, Province of Sulu, in terms of delivery of basic services, executive functions, and legislative functions during the Fiscal Year 2023. The study involved 100 respondents, mostly female, married, aged 31+, with high school education and an average monthly income of 5,001-10,000. With 100 samples taken through non-probability sampling method via purposive sampling, and with the use of weighted mean, standard deviation, t-test for independent samples, One-way ANOVA, and Pearson’s r the findings indicate that Punong Barangays are generally competent in their duties and functions. The study supports the Antal Szerletics, Gerry Stoker, and B. Guy Peter’s model, which emphasizes the importance of establishing a good governance structure to guide and manage sustainability and responsibility. This structure allows leaders to set direction, establish goals, and create policies to execute strategies. Good governance can be conceived as a basket of practices, including professional civil service, anti-corruption policies, transparency and accountability, democratic decision-making, the rule of law, protection of human rights, and independent judiciary. The findings suggest that the Punong Barangays in Hadji Panglima Tahil, Province of Sulu are competent in their duties and functions, with age, gender, average monthly income, and educational attainment not significantly mediating their assessment of competencies.

EVOLUTION OF CHINA’S ANTI-CORRUPTION POLICY: PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

Combating corruption in rapidly developing countries is one of the key directions of state policy. Despite decades of research, no universal approach has been proposed that can guarantee a minimum level of abuse of power for personal gain. Governments of countries, considering successful experiences, have to develop unique management approaches to address this issue, taking into account the specific political system, sociocultural characteristics, and dynamics of economic development. The goal of this article is to trace the evolution of anti-corruption policies in China. The study has demonstrated that the party leadership promptly changed approaches to combating corruption, in line with the changing forms and scales of corruption, understanding its origins and causes at different stages of the country’s development. China has a zero tolerance policy towards any manifestations of corruption and is actively combating abuses in government agencies. China’s current anti-corruption policy in the territory uses coercive instruments.

Combatting bribery and corruption: does corporate anti-corruption commitment lead to more or less audit effort?

ABSTRACT Firms and their external auditors can both help to combat the international scourge of business-related bribery and corruption. However, previous empirical research has not investigated whether the two are related and, if so, how. This paper examines whether auditors reduce their own effort in response to firms’ anti-corruption policies and actions, or whether firms that are committed to combating corruption require their auditors to undertake more effort. Based on 2,012 firm-year observations of UK FTSE 350-listed nonfinancial firms over the period 2002–2016 and using audit fee as a proxy for audit effort, our results indicate a positive and significant association between audit fees and corporate anti-corruption commitment, suggesting that firms that have stronger anti-corruption commitment actively involve their auditors in their agenda. Further analysis finds that internal (managerial) and external (institutional) shareholdings negatively moderate the link, indicating their contribution as governance mechanisms to mitigate agency conflict and reduce audit risk, and therefore payment of lower audit fees. The findings are robust across several modelling specifications, different measures of variables, different subsamples and addressing possible endogeneity issues. Suggestions for further research are discussed, as are the implications for policy and practice, especially in relation to how firms and their auditors can complement each other’s contributions to the anti-corruption agenda.

Nilai-Nilai Anti Korupsi dalam Pemikiran KH. Sahal Mahfudh dan Diseminasinya pada Perguruan Tinggi Pesantren

The thoughts of KH. MA. Sahal Mahfudh in his fiqh sosial reflects anti-corruption values that are relevant to the main function of humans as Khalifatullah. This function implies two main tasks, namely Ibadatullah and Imaratul Ardh. This research aims to explore anti-corruption values in Kiai Sahal's thinking and its dissemination at the Mathali'ul Falah Pati Islamic Boarding School. The research method uses a qualitative approach with data collection through documentation, interviews, and observation. Interpretative analysis was used to explain Kiai Sahal's thoughts on anti-corruption values. The results showed that the thoughts of KH. MA. Sahal Mahfudh's contain anti-corruption values. Values such as ikhtiar, tawakal, honesty, transparency, amar ma'ruf nahi munkar, character, and integrity become the foundation in preventing corruption. At Institut Pesantren Mathali'ul Falah, these values are disseminated through anti-corruption policies and integrated in Shalih Akram's Basic Values (NDSA), such as al-Amanah, i'itimad ala nafsi, al kifah mudawamah, tawasuth, zuhud, istiqomah, and al-barakah. The academic community is expected to have an anti-corruption character that is reflected in the curriculum and courses of Pancasila Education and Anti-Corruption, Shalih Akram’s Basic Values (NDSA), and Social Jurisprudence.