Effectiveness Of Anti-corruption Measures Research Articles

Towards corruption-free cities: Measuring the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures in infrastructure project procurement and management in Hong Kong

Regardless of how clean a city may appear to be, it can be tainted by the hidden forms of corruption. Hence, examining the prevalence of corruption and the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures (ACMs) are necessary to provide the information needed to promote or attain corruption-free city. However, determining the extent of corruption or the effectiveness of ACMs, especially regarding infrastructure project procurement and management, poses a new challenge. This study, therefore, employs a soft computing approach known as fuzzy synthetic evaluation to examine the effectiveness of ACMs. Twenty-six ACMs designed to curb the corrupt practices in infrastructure procurement processes are identified through a systematic review of the extant literature. Then, an empirical survey is conducted with experts in infrastructure procurement and management processes from Hong Kong. Results reveal that probing and transparency are the most effective ACMs. This empirical research is one of the first to examine the effectiveness of ACMs in infrastructure project procurement and management, thereby extending the body of knowledge on corruption-related studies in project (procurement and management)-related research and corruption-free cities. This study also offers practical implications that will inform industry practitioners, policymakers, and anti-corruption institutions about the effectiveness of ACMs and the need for improvement of less effective measures. Finally, this work contributes to the development of a holistic approach to corruption prevention in infrastructure project procurement and management.

Anti-corruption management in the health care system: the legal aspect

The purpose of the research . To analyze the concept of anti-corruption management and organizational and legal aspects of the implementation of anti-corruption activities in health care institutions, on the basis of the analyzed material, to define the concept of “anti-corruption management in health care institutions”, to determine legal problems in the organization of the indicated activity and to outline ways of their solution. Materials and methods. The research material is the current normative legal acts and normative documents regulating the implementation of anti-corruption activities in health care institutions. Structural-functional and system-analytical methods, method of information search and generalization were used. Results. Analyzing the current legal acts, anti-corruption management includes the following main areas of activity (functions): determination of the person (unit) responsible for preventing and detecting corruption in the health care establishment and creating the necessary conditions for its (her) successful work; development and approval of the necessary internal documents on issues of anti-corruption activities, their constant and timely updating; implementation of anti-corruption legislation in other internal documents of the health care institution; realization of corruption risk assessment; ensuring proper prevention and conflict resolution of interests; ensuring openness and transparency of the health care institution's activities; organization of anti-corruption education of employees of the institution of health care; the proper management of information on corruption offenses; maintenance of the necessary registers and databases; control and monitoring of the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures. Conclusions . Thus, the anti-corruption management of healthcare institutions is a type of organizational and managerial activity of managers, founders and authorized persons (departments) of healthcare institutions of all forms of ownership, based on legal norms, aimed at creating and operating an effective system of preventing and combating corruption in healthcare institutions, as well as control the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures. Some legal aspects of anti-corruption management require serious improvement.

РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ СОЦИОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯ ОБ УРОВНЕ КОРРУПЦИИ НА ТЕРРИТОРИИ КУРСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ

The article presents the results of studies of public opinion on the level of corruption and the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures in the Kursk region. Regardless of the level of income and social status, Kursk residents believe that the level of corruption in the region is high and tends to increase. The majority of respondents believe that the authorities and executive bodies in the region do not fight against corruption or are fighting, but without success. Among the most effective anti-corruption measures, respondents consider tougher penalties for the fact of receiving a bribe and “show trials” of corrupt officials. Of the least effective, respondents noted social advertising.

Public control as an effective mechanism for prevention of corruption in public procurement

Problem setting. One of the main prerequisites for the detection of corruption offenses and the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures is active citizens who are interested in overcoming this phenomenon. An active, influential and developed civil society is an important element of any democratic state. Such civil society plays a key role in implementation of urgent social changes, development and realization of effective public policies in various spheres, solving political, socio-economic and humanitarian problems.Recent research and publications analysis. A. Mykhnenko, Yu. Surmin, E. Nevmerzhytskyi, M. Mesiuk and other scientists investigated the issues of civil society development and, accordingly, the introduction of effective public control, including in the public procurement sphere. Scientists consider the influence of civil society on various spheres of state activity, reveal the problems of interaction between government authorities and civil society institutions as well as study the foreign experience of civil society activities and public control. The study of the reasons for the low interaction of government authorities with the public in our country and ways of improving the state-management mechanisms of such interaction are urgent.Highlighting previously unsettled parts of the general problem. In order to reveal the role, possibilities and influence of public control on socio-economic, political and other processes and transformations in the state, including public procurement, it is necessary to clarify and realize the meaning of this concept.The purpose of the research paper is to reveal the role of public control in the fight against corruption, to prove the necessity of creating the proper normative basis for the development of civil society institutions, reporting and accountability to the society for the fulfillment of public duties.Paper main body. It was established that the definition of the term “public control” in the Ukrainian legislation is currently absent. However, the following interpretation can be considered as accurate: public control is one of the types of social control exercised by associations of citizens as well as by citizens themselves. At the same time, it is indisputable from the practice of developed civilized countries that the level of public control is a reflection of democracy in the state, an indicator of the influence of citizens on the management of society and state.The role of public control in preventing and detecting of corruption in the public procurement sphere was disclosed as well as the existence of legislative bases and databases in order to identify, assess and eliminate corruption risks and corruption cases in the activities of public funds managers was proved. Examples of normative documents regulating the activities of public councils, introduction of public control in public procurement, mandatory publication of information on public finances and the reasons for the inhibition of the development of public control in Ukraine, in particular in the public procurement sphere, were provided.It was proved that the work of the public councils needs the assessment and changing of the approaches to the functioning. In order to extend the legitimate rights of civil society institutions to access to public finances, unimpeded attendance at commissions, committees, working groups, etc., it is proposed to supplement the Provision on the Public Council with the following paragraph 6: “Have the right to unimpeded presence (without the right to vote) in the amount not more than two representatives from a public association at meetings of commissions, committees, working groups, etc., whose purpose is the formation, use or distribution of public resources, with the possibility of photo, video or audio fixation of the meeting”. The attention is focused on the role of the state in establishing effective cooperation between government authorities and civil society institutes; on the example of the two ministries the ineffectiveness of public councils as direct bodies of public control at the central executive authorities is proved.Conclusions of the research and prospects for further studies. A consistent, powerful and independent cell of adequate interaction, and in some cases, the struggle for democracy, freedom of speech and human rights has not yet been created in Ukraine due to insufficient activity, consciousness, lack of motivation of civil society and despite open access to information sources, the opportunity to influence on socio-economic and political processes in the state. Only by creating favorable conditions for the development of civil society institutions, by establishing effective safeguards for possible abuse by representatives of public entities and by establishing the interaction between government authorities and the public, it is possible to achieve the desired goal: to build a conscious, active and modern civil society, which will ensure the implementation of one of the key functions of a democratic state – public control over socioeconomic processes, including public procurements.

Коррупция через призму теории национальной безопасности

Objective: to consider the theory of national security as a methodological basis for the study of corruption.Methods: dialectical approach to the cognition of social phenomena, allowing to analyze them in the historical development and functioning in the context of a set of objective and subjective factors, which determined the choice of the following research methods: formal-logical, comparative-legal, sociological.Results: the paper investigates the basic approaches to corruption counteraction and presents the typology of anti-corruption strategies: a) inert strategy; b) selective strategy; c) agreement strategy; d) zone strategy; e) regional strategy; e) strategy of total purification of society from corruption. The inert strategy does not provide for effective anti-corruption measures. The selective strategy differs from the inert one only in that ineffective anti-corruption measures are combined with selective prosecution of some high-ranking officials. The agreement strategy is based on the state leadership’s an explicit or veiled agreement with the political and economic elite of the country on the corruption limits, going beyond which may entail liability. The zonal strategy is based on a significant cleansing of certain spheres of social life from corruption manifestations (the sphere of state security, the sphere of defense, some industries, etc.).The regional strategy involves a significant cleansing of certain regions from corruption (districts, regions, territories, republics). In a certain perspective, the regional strategy can be considered as a preparatory phase for the implementation of the strategy of total purification of society from corruption. The strategy of total purification of society from corruption is the way to the social ideal. Its implementation requires certain social preconditions, political will and political art. Anti-corruption practice based on the strategy of total purification of society from corruption is determined by a certain socio-political logic. Scientific novelty: for the first time, the paper examines the fundamental strategies of social corruption counteraction and their typology, analyzes the algorithm of state corruption counteraction, the factors of corruption counteraction efficiency, and predicts the prospects of anti-corruption activities of state bodies and civil society.Practical significance: the main provisions and conclusions of the article can be used in scientific and educational activities in considering the issues related to corruption counteraction.

Theoretical principles of formation of a meritocratic approach to selection of personnel in the system of public administration

The article analyzed the approaches to the concept of «meritocracy». The article determined that the meritocratic principle in the selection of management personnel is revealed in the early selection of talented individuals who have managerial abilities, charisma, high level of intelligence, communication abilities, and are honest, responsible, unbiased with their own personal core. The author noted that the principle of meritocracy in the formation of a management elite is manifested in equal access to the system of public administration of all professionally trained persons with a high level of moral qualities that have been appropriately selected and have experience in management activities. The article analyzed the experience of forming a managerial staff in Singapore. The success of the Singaporean model of public administration is based on meritocratic principles, a strict bureaucratic hierarchy and administrative impartiality, and is based on four major strategies: Singapore’s comprehensive civil service reform; strong and effective anti-corruption measures; decentralization of the Civil Service Commission; payment of competitive wages to attract and retain the best personnel. The author identified the main stages of selection of management personnel in accordance with Ukrainian legislation. In our opinion, the meritocratic principle should be central to the formation of the national managerial elite through the prevailing system of qualifying tests, examinations on the basis of objective, impartial and comprehensive evaluation.

Trust Deficit and Anti-corruption Initiatives

This study explores the ways in which trust deficit undermines anti-corruption initiatives in a context with systemic corruption. Anti-corruption measures as panacea to systemic corruption are not new, but their effectiveness is debatable. Whilst understanding the causal relationship between corruption and trust remains germane to fighting corruption, a growing number of recent studies advocate better context sensitivity in developing anti-corruption initiatives. Consistent with this, we unpack the perceptions of a significant section of the population in which corruption is rampant to identify factors that could enhance trust in the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures. Using commentaries from Nigerian Netizens on two critical corruption incidents that are significant to corporations, we uncover poignant narratives of perception of incompetence, dishonesty and confusion that undermine the anti-corruption measures in the context. We argue that donors, international organisations and businesses must encourage and support beneficiaries’ governments to secure and sustain trust in the anti-corruption initiatives as a condition for better results.

INFLUENCE OF CORRUPTION ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF UKRAINE IN TERMS OF REFORMATION: A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS

The subject of the study is to investigate the causes of the influence of corruption on the economic development of Ukraine in the context of reform. Corruption occurs at all levels of society and in some way interferes in all elements of society, and thus negatively affects democracy and economic development of the country. The research methodology involves a retrospective analysis of the problem of inveteracy of corruption associated with the study of its impact on the economy. It is precisely endemic corruption that threatens the formation of Ukraine’s stability and its transition to a market economy. Corruption as one of the most ancient phenomena in society exists in every modern country. The general understanding of corruption is that corruption is detrimental to economic growth. There are also many causes of corruption, namely, a cultural factor, a psychological factor and, therefore, factors associated with the system can cause corruption in every society. The methodological basis for the research was the works of Tylchyk O.V., Bilous V.T., Subbot A.I., Lytvynenko V.I., Hvozdetskyi V.D., Popovych V.M., Bodnarchuk O.H. in the field of administrative law and issues of counteracting and combating corruption, which indicate that there are some factors, such as monopoly power, discretionary power, and low civil servants’ liability, that may provide opportunities for the development of corruption. The purpose of the article was to analyse the causes of the impact of corruption on the country’s economic and political development. Today, corruption has a wide range of activities that undermine the country’s development. Researchers argue that corruption affects the country’s economic growth. However, contradictory evidence was found that corruption can have a positive effect on the country’s economic development or have no significant impact on economic performance. On the basis of analysis of these works, it was established that corruption is the result of institutional weakness, with a potential adverse effect on the country’s economic efficiency. Corruption negatively affects the efficiency of public spending, reduces budget revenues and increases its deficit, impedes foreign direct investment, reduces the effectiveness of international assistance, and hinders economic development. As a result of the analysis, ways to reduce corruption are identified, which suggest a policy of reducing corruption in Ukraine. The result of the study was conclusions on the need to develop and form a coherent system of scientific and legal views on identifying effective anticorruption measures, optimizing and improving the effectiveness of anticorruption activities, with the involvement of international experience in coordinating and minimizing information leakage and engaging civic initiatives among the non-public sector.

Зарубежный опыт противодействия коррупции

the article is about the problem of the spread of corruption in the world in particular in the Russian Federation and about possible ways to solve that problem. Most foreign countries are successfully fighting against corruption. The main purpose of this work is to analyze anti-corruption measures in foreign countries. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to study the most effective anti-corruption measures and outline the principles applicable in our country.

Corruption-oriented model of governance in contemporary Russia

This article reveals Russian paradox: the combination of high level of corruption with strong and relatively effective government. In the focus of attention lies the examination of relations between the corruption and the processes of socio-political transformations of the end of the XX – beginning of the XXI centuries and the particularities of the corruption integration into the government of Russia. Basing upon the concept of the corruption as a political and administrative rent the author arrives to the conclusion about the formation of the corrupt model of governance in Russia. The article analyses factors which give relative efficiency to the Russian model of corrupt governance as well as the costs and contradictions of it. The author also reaches the conclusion that corruption-oriented model of governance is prospectless and makes a point that effective anti-corruption measures in Russia can be carried out only in case of current regime change and consequent realization of democratic, market and administrative reforms.

A Corruption Risk Assessment for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Nigeria

This study asked if the concerns about corruption in climate change in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and, therefore, fiduciary standards, is justified or not. The study employed an explorative approach using the Nigeria REDD+ process as a case study. Using semistructured questionnaire and in-depth interviews with key informants, data were collected from 201 households from REDD+ project sites and twenty-one forestry officials from local forestry commission on the perceived extent of transparency in REDD+ implementation in the study area; how REDD+ local officials perceive the fiduciary standards and other governance standards by international climate funds; and effectiveness of anticorruption measures within the REDD+ projects. The confidence reposed in the project's local implementing agency was generally poor. Allocation of carbon rights was the most critically perceived to be fraught with poor transparency in REDD+ processes. Only five out of eight governance measures that could help improve transparency in REDD+ processes were available locally two of which were rated as just fairly functional. This study agreed that the multilateral climate funds are justified in respect of the set fiduciary standards for climate finance flows.

Where Does Informality Stop and Corruption Begin? Informal Governance and the Public/Private Crossover in Mexico, Russia and Tanzania

In this article we challenge the prevalent anti-corruption approaches in three ways. First, rather than discussing the failures of anticorruption reforms and the normative anticorruption rhetoric of the leadership in Mexico, Russia and Tanzania, we explore patterns of informal governance that work effectively, allowing the authorities to stay in power and citizens to access services and resources. Second, we link these practices to the impossibility of a clear public/private divide and identify those practical norms that enable its seamless crossover in these countries. Third, we find that the resilience of corrupt behaviours is associated with the fact that the informal governance norms that we identify across the three cases are permeated with ambivalent meanings and implications. This approach is expected to generate insights relevant to the development of a new generation of more effective anti-corruption measures for countries that suffer from high levels of corruption.

Where Does Informality Stop and Corruption Begin? Informal Governance and the Public/Private Crossover in Mexico, Russia and Tanzania

In this article we challenge the prevalent anti-corruption approaches in three ways. First, rather than discussing the failures of anticorruption reforms and the normative anticorruption rhetoric of the leadership in Mexico, Russia and Tanzania, we explore patterns of informal governance that work effectively, allowing the authorities to stay in power and citizens to access services and resources. Second, we link these practices to the impossibility of a clear public/private divide and identify those practical norms that enable its seamless crossover in these countries. Third, we find that the resilience of corrupt behaviours is associated with the fact that the informal governance norms that we identify across the three cases are permeated with ambivalent meanings and implications. This approach is expected to generate insights relevant to the development of a new generation of more effective anti-corruption measures for countries that suffer from high levels of corruption.

Rethinking Corruption: Hocus-Pocus, Locus and Focus

Although there has been a significant increase in research on the phenomenon of corruption over the last quarter-century, there is little evidence that this has resulted in effective policy interventions, nor in any significant reduction in its scope and extent. This article argues that three main reasons account for this failure to develop effective anti-corruption measures. First, the dominance of economistic analyses of the role of incentives in decision-making has given rise to proposed institutional fixes that are too abstracted from reality to gain purchase. That dominance was partly prompted by a misplaced assumption that market-based liberal democracies would become the modal regime type following the collapse of communism. Second, an emphasis on the nation state as the primary unit of analysis has not kept pace with significant changes in how some forms of corruption operate in practice, nor with the changing nature of states themselves. Third, different types of corruption are insufficiently disaggregated according not just to kind and form, but also to the locations in which they occur (sectoral, organisational, geographical), the actors involved, and the dependencies that enable them. This reflects an overuse of the term ‘corruption’ in both academic literature and policy recommendations; insufficient attention is paid to what exactly is being addressed and ultimately, the notion of corruption, without adjectives, is a poor guide both to analysis and to policy prescription.

The Role of Criminal Law as an Anti-corruption Tool in the Public Sector

The Albanian society is making efforts for the consolidation of democratic institutions and the fulfillment of standards as a condition for European integration. In the context of these efforts, the fight against corruption remains a major challenge. The need to address the fight against it is one of the main issues of public interest. Corruption in the field of public administration is one of the most disturbing phenomena of the Albanian society. European Commission Progress Report 2011 for Albania considers public administration reform as one of the key priorities. To this end, the Albanian government has undertaken concrete steps to combat and prevent corruption in the public sector in particular. Concrete steps in the context of the fight against corruption,consists on a very important place which is given to legal reform, especially the amendment of criminal legislation as an important war of the fight against corruption. Although the legal framework has improved significantly, there has been no proper success in changing the reality in relation to the prevention and suppression of corruption. Studies and surveys indicate an improvement of the situation, but the corruption practices in the public sector continue to be embodied as the economic dimension, as well as in social. The purpose of this paper is to present some issues regarding anticorruption legal reform in the field of public administration based on an analysis of international law, provisions of the Criminal Code and special laws aimed at preventing and combating corruption in the public sector. More specifically, the paper will focus on: - Analysis of the Criminal Code amendments that occurred as a result of demand for harmonization of legislation with international conventions in this field, and the importance in combating corruption in the public sector. - Analysis of legislation and other measures in the field of public administration that enable the prevention and suppression of certain behaviors related to acts of corruption in the sector. - Identification of issues related to the practical application of these provisions in view of the fight against this phenomenon. - Identification of relevant suggestions to increase the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures and mechanisms to control and fight against corruption in public administration. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2016.v5n1p99

The impact of corruption on provincial development performance in Vietnam

Corruption has long been considered a national illness in Vietnam but progress in fighting corruption has been modest. In recent years, the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Government of Vietnam have strengthened their efforts to prevent and fight corruption. Despite strong anti-corruption measures being implemented at the national level, provincial authorities have shied away from tackling corruption. One of the reasons for this could be that it is not clear to provincial authorities if and how corruption is affecting local development economically and socially. This article demonstrates that corruption has a negative impact on private sector investment, employment and per capita income at the provincial level in Vietnam. However, corruption is found to have no significant impact on how income is distributed across provinces. The findings demonstrate that more effective anti-corruption measures are necessary to promote the private sector and improve household income. The study provides provincial leaders with empirical evidence and incentives for fighting corruption.

Punishing Corrupt Officials in China

AbstractChina presents a mixed picture in terms of its anti-corruption efforts. On the one hand, rampant corruption remains a huge challenge for the party-state because it not only results in the loss of state assets but also damages the legitimacy of the regime. On the other hand, China's record of curbing corruption is not particularly worse than other comparable countries. This paper explains the reasons behind this mixed picture by focusing on the anti-corruption strategy employed by the central Party authorities. Effective anti-corruption measures are determined by the high probability of detecting corrupt agents and the meting out of effective and warranted punishment. In China, the central government is unable or unwilling to investigate a large number of officials, especially high-ranking officials. However, at the same time, it must impose severe punishment on convicted high-ranking officials. Although this mode of selective discipline compromises the credibility of the state in terms of anti-corruption efficacy, it also creates uncertainty for corrupt agents because corrupt officials are not guaranteed exemption.

Meritocracy and the Singapore Political System

A meritocracy presumes those with innate and demonstrated talent will be an elite. The implementation of meritocracy remains a guiding principle of the People's Action Party's (PAP) non-communist leaders who have governed Singapore since 1959. This article focuses on meritocracy, elected public officials and the PAP's recruiting to government a cohort from among Singapore's best and brightest. The success of the PAP, the world's longest-governing elected political party, is based on meritocracy, incorruptibility and effective policies. Important to understanding Singapore's meritocracy is political recruitment which has been refined for half a century. Compensation for the high flyers means elected officials and top civil servants are probably the highest paid in the world. The realistic justification is that you can retain outstanding persons. Comprehensive and effective anti-corruption measures combined with high pay means Singapore is one of the most corruption free governments in the world.

The bottom billion: why the poorest countries are failing and what can be done about it

Global poverty is falling rapidly, but in around fifty failing states, the world's poorest people face a tragedy that is growing inexorably worse. This bottom billion live on less than a dollar a day and while the rest of the world moves steadily forward, this forgotten billion is left further and further behind with potentially serious consequences not only for them but for the stability of the rest of the world. Why do the states these people live in defy all the attempts of the international aid community to help them? Why does nothing seem to make a difference? In The Bottom Billion, Paul Collier pinpoints the issues of corruption, political instability and resource management that lie at the root of the problem. He describes the battle raging in these countries between corrupt leaders and would-be reformers and the factors such as civil war, dependence on the export of natural resources and lack of good governance that trap them into a downward spiral of economic and social decline. Collier addresses the fact that conventional aid has been unable to tackle these problems and puts forward a radical new plan of action including a new agenda for the G8 which includes more effective anti-corruption measures, preferential trade policies and where necessary direct military intervention. All of these initiatives are carefully designed to help the forgotten bottom billion, one of the key challenges facing the world in the twenty first century.

Understanding Corruption and Corruptibility Through Experiments

Corruption and corruptibility - due to their illegal and therefore secretive nature - are difficult to be assessed either with traditional tools, such as hard data on criminal convictions or soft data elicited through opinion polls, questionnaires, or case studies. While there seems to be agreement nowadays that corruption does have a negative impact on (foreign) private investment and growth, government revenue and infrastructure, and social equality, and while there seems to be evidence that low economic development, federal structure and short histories of experience with democracy and free trade all favour corruption on the macro-level, it is poorly understood what exactly, on the micro-level, the determinants of corruptibility are and what institutional arrangements could be used to fight (the causes of) corruption. In this article we review a third, complementary mode of investigation of corruption and corruptibility: experiments. We assess their strengths and weaknesses, and identify areas where they could be particularly useful in guiding policy choices - namely in designing incentive-compatible and effective anti-corruption measures in public procurement.