Public Sector Integrity Research Articles

Civil servants’ integrity in public sector: the case of Nepal

Civil servants' integrity in delivering public service is the heart and soul of public sector governance worldwide, including in Nepal. Ensuring a higher level of integrity for civil servants is complex, as it is affected by several factors. With this consideration, this study aims to examine the factors affecting the integrity of civil servants in the delivery of public services in Nepal. Data on this subject were derived from the Nepal National Governance Survey 2017/18, and analyzed using a logistic regression model. The findings revealed that citizens perceived civil servants’ integrity in public service was positively affected by civil servants’ compliance with rules, their responsiveness in delivering service, their service on time, their hassle-free service, and their adequate salary, whereas negatively affected by civil servants’ prior network/connection with citizens and their asking or receiving a bribe for public service. Therefore, the concerned authorities should focus on these factors to build and maintain civil servants' integrity in delivering public service. Our findings provide empirical evidence for concerned authorities who can contribute to adopting innovative governance approaches and appropriate policies to build and maintain civil servants’ integrity in the coming days. The study contributes to the field of integrity and public service by highlighting the factors affecting the integrity of civil servants in the delivery of public services.

Factors influencing the level of ethics and integrity in Malaysian public sector

PurposeThe aim of this study is to look into the factors that influence the level of ethics and integrity in Malaysian public sector.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a quantitative approach by delivering 128 questionnaires to Federal Chief Integrity Officers (CIOs), of which 83 were received and usable. The data were analysed using multiple regression analysis and descriptive statistics.FindingsThe quality of CIO in terms of competency, work performance and ethical climate has significant impact on the level of ethics and integrity. According to the study, having certified CIOs who can effectively perform their function and promote and nurture a transparent ethical climate are critical for the Malaysian Federal government to maintain a high level of ethics. Employees who have a high level of ethics are more likely to stay with the organization.Practical implicationsIn addition, this study will assist policymakers in taking the required actions to strengthen public sector integrity practices for the establishment of a more dependable and efficient government in Malaysia.Originality/valueThis study addresses a gap in the Malaysian public sector’s level of ethics and integrity.

Strengthening Public Sector Integrity: The Role of Internal Control and Compliance in Combating Corruption


 
 
 Objective: The aim of this article is to conceptualize internal control and compliance, presenting the contributions that these areas, working together, would provide to the public sector in preventing bribery and corruption crimes. It addresses the structures of internal control and the pillars for implementing a compliance area, as well as the necessary requirements for integrated and coordinated action in a State or Municipal Controller's Office. Finally, it lists the main risks and challenges for the effective joint performance of these distinguished functions.
 Methodology: The hypothetical-deductive approach is used, starting from the general to the particular, through reasoning in doctrine and legislation, in order to reach a conclusion. Regarding research techniques, readings and consultations are used in works, scientific articles, domestic and comparative law.
 Contributions: The main contribution of this research is to highlight the importance of implementing a compliance structure as an integral part of the State's Internal Control in all government spheres, addressing the benefits and challenges for its institution, in order to encourage and provide subsidies in the process of implementing and managing public compliance as a primary tool in combating corruption and deviations of conduct in the conduct of public policies.
 
 
 
 
 

Public Sector Integrity Violations

Objective - Integrity violations can result in small or large financial losses for a community or organisation. These economic losses can be the result of small actions, such as laziness or no determination of work ethics, or large losses, such as corruption practices that can cause an organisation to lose large amounts of money and suffer damage to their reputation. The study will assess the levels of public sector integrity violations among Malaysian government employees. Methodology/Technique – Previous studies have shown that serious integrity violations, such as fraud, result in major economic loss to a country. This paper explores the perceptions of 616 Malaysian government civil servants who were surveyed regarding matters of integrity violations in their working environment. Surveys were distributed using mail and online distribution formats. The level of integrity violations within the respondent’s organisations were evaluated as weak, mild or strong. Finding - The results indicate that employees in Malaysia are focused on their personal and family relationships despite the fact that this is considered as integrity violations within their organisation. Novelty - This research provides an overview of the current stage of Malaysian integrity violations and demonstrates the need for improvement in this area. The research also provides valuable insight to managers to improve their control over the organisation. Type of Paper: Empirical

Building public sector integrity in Indonesia: the role and challenges of ethical leadership

Many public sector organisations in developing countries are working ineffectively, which is due considerably to weak standards of governance that result in widespread corruption. Accordingly, this article considers how a public organisation in a corrupt political-economic environment can successfully implement measures to enhance its integrity through an emphasis especially on the role and challenges of ethical leadership. The particular focus is a large state-owned enterprise responsible for the distribution of electricity in Indonesia. The discussion is based on responses to a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews, with the findings confirming that ethical leadership at various levels within and beyond an organisation plays a pivotal role in fostering and maintaining high organisational integrity.

Accountability in Regulatory Reform: Australia's Superannuation Industry Paradox

The Australian Superannuation Industry is generally seen as very strong and successful by global standards. However, three decades of legislative reform in the Australian superannuation industry have created a paradox: ongoing reforms but continuing dissatisfaction with areas of governance and outcomes. These include high levels of administrative and investment fees, and systematic problems around a culture of conflicted investment advice. In seeking to further elaborate and then resolve this paradox, this article draws upon an extensive research project conducted by the authors within the Australian superannuation industry, including three voluntary and anonymous surveys of superannuation trustees/licensees. This research has revealed that fund members are vulnerable to significant and expanding private-interest rents generated by the financial services sector. This may be explained by regulatory capture mechanisms variously described as statutory, agency, corrosive and intellectual capture. The article examines ways to better achieve public interest outcomes, and at a time when public sector integrity remains an area of particular attention, how more can be done to blunt the force of private interest rent seeking.

Developing an innovative, integrated care pathway for PMV patients

Background : In the traditional care pathway for prolonged mechanically ventilated (PMV) patients, the patients often progress from an intensive care unit (ICU) directly to their home or to an unspecialised nursing home setting. In these settings, specialised offerings for PMV patients such as round-the-clock respiratory rehabilitation and weaning programmes are usually not being offered. Therefore in the traditional pathway, PMV patients do not receive the integrated rehabilitation and therapy programmes they require. Moreover, patients returning home without professional support are a challenge for the family caregivers, often resulting in unplanned patient readmission to the hospital and ICU. In addition to this suboptimal care situation, PMV patients cause very high resource consumption for hospitals: whereas PMV patients account for ten percent of ICU patients, they can consume up to fifty percent of the ICU resources. Care coordination between stakeholders : In contrast to hospital ICUs, dedicated service offerings outside of the hospital setting have the potential to improve the care that PMV patients receive. In 2011, Linde AG – Healthcare developed an innovative programme for PMV patients offering an integrated, standardized care path outside a hospital’s ICU including a patient’s own home. The programme spans a variety of operating models to meet individual needs at different stages of the care continuum. The patients can easily move between the operational models of this path, depending on the complexity of care and the support required. The mission of this programme is to manage the whole PMV patient pathway by ensuring highest quality of care in an efficient and effective manner in order to establish an optimal care service offering for PMV patients. To achieve this mission it is essential to integrate the patient pathway between different care providers and decision makers. In addition to the optimisation of care to PMV patients, the optimisation of treatment cost-efficiency in the fragmented setting of public and private providers is the key argument for Linde’s innovative care pathway. For being able to attract stakeholders along the path, reimbursement needs to be tailored such that reimbursement is not solely reduced but rather optimized to combine sustainable financial results with optimal patient results i.e. in the form of sharing cost savings, reduced hospitalization and exacerbations as well as by means of telehealth/- monitoring. In order to bring together, manage and improve all the aspects of integration between the stakeholders in the innovative care programme, the Integrated Care Pathway Project (ICPP) assessment tool was developed. It is based on six pillars: Leadership, Interdisciplinary Teams, Coordination of Care, Quality and Safety Assurance, Financial Management and Reimbursement and Patient-centred Care. When looking at integration aspects in the care programme, there are two types of integration to consider: the internal integration between the different operating models of the care pathway of the single provider (Linde Healthcare) as well as the external integration/collaboration with external partners (hospitals, other service providers, community). Assessing internal and external integration levels : Although there are many examples of integration assessment tools for the healthcare market, they are mainly specific for public sector integration assessment or specific disease management pathway integration assessment and therefore do not exactly match the Linde programme’s needs. Based on a thorough literature review and the above mentioned main pillars and principles of integration, a specific assessment tool for internal and external integration was developed. This integration assessment tool comprises over 200 questions (internal and external integration each) and is divided into the six main pillars. Data is collected using an interview methodology and subsequent analysis is based on the worldwide standard for RADAR from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) with its enabler and results areas [1]. For the classification of assessment results, four levels of integration are foreseen: Minimal integration, basic collaboration, and close collaboration – partly integrated and fully integrated respectively [2]. Early results of the first assessments are available with regard to the level of integration. The external integration assessment suggests that the majority of pillars are within the scope of ‘basic collaboration’. Concerning the internal integration, the integration level is higher, reaching ‘close collaboration – partly integrated’. Based on further evaluations, integration improvement projects will be started. References : 1. McCarthy, G., Greatbanks, R. , Yang, JB.. Guidelines for assessing organisational performance against the EFQM Model of Excellence using the Radar Logic, Manchester School of Management,2002, ISBN-10: 1861151179. 2. Heath B, Wise Romero P, and Reynolds K. A Standard Framework for Levels of Integrated Healthcare. Washington, D.C.SAMHSA-HRSA Centre for Integrated Health Solutions. March 2013.

An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Internal Audit Control in Ensuring Public and Private Sector Integrity and Accountability (A Case of Ghana Agric. Development Bank and the Fan Milk Industry-Ghana)

An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Internal Audit Control in Ensuring Public and Private Sector Integrity and Accountability (A Case of Ghana Agric. Development Bank and the Fan Milk Industry-Ghana)

What can UK public administration learn from the devolved nations?

Since the UK devolved administrations first took office in 1999, they have asserted their distinctiveness and identity while remaining within UK norms and traditions of public administration. Many variables now show a balance between institutional continuity and adaptive local practices, including: distinctions between the executive and legislative branches, and between ministers and civil servants; control of expenditure within the UK managed total; the unified Home Civil Service; the position of special advisers; professional networks inside government; public sector integration and joined-up government; techniques of coalition formation and management. Whether these amount to Scottish and Welsh models of public administration (alongside the clearly singular Northern Ireland model) is more contestable. Generally the devolved administrations fall within continuing patterns of UK government, including recent concepts such as ‘public service bargains’, ‘everyday life’ and ‘policy bureaucracy’. The system has proved resilient even in the face of challenges to the UK constitutional order, especially in Scotland, where officials have advised the Scottish National Party government about their constitutional aspirations in the same way as they do for other policy areas, whether or not devolved. Controversy over this role is a reminder that public administration is a third dimension alongside the politics of nationalism and devolution and the service-specific public policies of the devolved nations, and also a contribution to our understanding of adaptations of the Whitehall model.

Towards a Model Public Sector Integrity Commission

This article examines the current debate in Australia about public sector integrity and the idea of a standing anticorruption commission. From this debate the article outlines a specific type of ‘public sector integrity commission’ that in principle should have the necessary powers and techniques at its disposal to minimise corruption while ensuring efficiency and fairness. The debate has been most active in jurisdictions that have not had an anticorruption commission – mainly in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania – but debate about integrity commissions has occurred in all jurisdictions. The authors argue that anticorruption commissions are essential to ensure the integrity of the public sector and that a model commission should: cover all elements of the public sector; independently investigate serious and mid-level complaints; have own motion powers to investigate any matter; have summary authority to apply administrative sanctions; make use of a range of investigative tools; not be tasked with combating major and organised crime; and be held accountable to citizens through a parliamentary committee and a parliamentary inspector.

Developing health policy: The British perspective

Integrating regulation of practitioners: In the EU there are three main systems for regulating practitioners: Full legal framework (France and many southern European Countries). Only licensed health-care professionals may practice medicine, including complementary medicine (CM). Intermediate (Germany). CM practitioners have reduced registration requirements (Heilpraktiker). Liberal (UK, Netherlands, Ireland, some Nordic countries). The right to practice is not systematically regulated by law. In the UK many legally registered health professionals also integrate CM including homeopathy and acupuncture. The liberal system is associated with problems including public protection and professional discipline. In the UK there is a gradual process of regulation of CM practitioners: osteopaths and chiropractors became legally regulated in the early 1990s. In June 2008 an official report on the Regulation of Practitioners of Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine and other Traditional Medicine Systems identified an urgent need for regulation. The main reason is to safeguard the public but also to permit the manufacture of herbal medicines for individual patients after full implementation of the European Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive in 2011. The report recommends that these professions be regulated by Health Professions Council, which already regulates 13 health professions; this integrates the regulatory system for CM practitioners. In parallel the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council has recently been launched. It will register other practitioners but is voluntary, and does not involve legal regulation. The governing council is independent and 100% lay; it will provide a more credible regulatory structure for other CM therapists. Public sector integration: The UK National Health Service (NHS) is being reformed from a classical socialist model to an ‘internal market’ of commissioners who purchase health services from providers. This aims to allow patients free choice, increases the autonomy of commissioners and providers and permits private sector involvement, although the entire system remains state-funded. In this context the integration of CM is very controversial. There are five NHS homeopathic hospitals, integrated with their respective local NHS providers and staffed by registered health professionals trained in CM. Despite their titles they provide a wide range of CM, homeopathy now forms less than 40% of the activity of the largest NHS homeopathic hospital, the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital. There has been a high profile campaign to exclude the NHS homeopathic hospitals and CM from the NHS. Arguments against integration of CM include claimed lack of evidence and diversion of resources. Some commissioning bodies have restricted CM or stopped their contracts with the NHS homeopathic hospitals. This has met strong public and political opposition mostly on the grounds that it denies patients the choice which these reforms claim to increase. The private sector has shown increased interest in providing integrated services inside and outside the NHS.

The public sector and international integration

How does international integration affect public sector activities? Optimal public sector activities are shown to depend positively on a “gains from trade” effect, and ambiguously on the standard “distortion” effect. The bias in non-cooperative policies may be strengthened by integration.

Mapping the New South Wales Public Integrity System

This article summaries conclusions from the New South Wales public sector component of the National Integrity System Assessment. The evidence here suggests that the NSW public sector integrity activity is relatively complex and that the existence of multiple integrity agencies has disadvantages for complainants, integrity agencies and agencies under their scrutiny. The coherence of the NSW integrity system must therefore be questioned. The capacity of integrity agencies is hard to determine, with money and staffing levels not in themselves resolving debate over where capacity ought to be directed. The evidence suggests that the long-running debate between those who want capacity directed to coercive investigations and those who want it aimed at systemic and cultural change is a false one, with the best strategies coupling the two types of activity. Judgements differ on the consequences of public sector integrity activity. Greater agreement exists that integrity has improved over the last decade or so, but while external integrity oversight appears to be responsible for some of that improvement, activities within public sector agencies appear to have been equally important.

Stakeholder Perspectives on Police Complaints and Discipline: Towards a Civilian Control Model

This paper examines the case for independent investigation and adjudication of complaints against police, and the implications for restructuring of public sector institutions concerned with integrity. The need for external review of police in-house investigations is well established. However, there is now an accelerating trend for civilian agencies to go beyond review to engage directly in investigations and to have much greater input into disciplinary decisions.This paper reports on the experiences and principles behind this trend, focusing on the points of view of specific actors and stakeholders.These include commissions of inquiry, oversight agencies, complainants, police, the public, civil liberties groups, government review bodies and miscellaneous bodies. The perspectives of each of the groups were analysed to develop a distinctive “civilian control model” for maximising stakeholder confidence in police integrity.The model entails police management responsibility for primary misconduct prevention and informal resolution of complaints, with external agencies having control over the investigation and adjudication of complaints.The paper also argues for efficiency gains from integrating police oversight within a larger public sector integrity commission, especially in countries with large numbers of small police departments.

Stakeholder Perspectives on Police Complaints and Discipline: Towards a Civilian Control Model

This paper examines the case for independent investigation and adjudication of complaints against police, and the implications for restructuring of public sector institutions concerned with integrity. The need for external review of police in-house investigations is well established. However, there is now an accelerating trend for civilian agencies to go beyond review to engage directly in investigations and to have much greater input into disciplinary decisions.This paper reports on the experiences and principles behind this trend, focusing on the points of view of specific actors and stakeholders.These include commissions of inquiry, oversight agencies, complainants, police, the public, civil liberties groups, government review bodies and miscellaneous bodies. The perspectives of each of the groups were analysed to develop a distinctive “civilian control model” for maximising stakeholder confidence in police integrity.The model entails police management responsibility for primary misconduct prevention and informal resolution of complaints, with external agencies having control over the investigation and adjudication of complaints.The paper also argues for efficiency gains from integrating police oversight within a larger public sector integrity commission, especially in countries with large numbers of small police departments.

Records Management Capacity Assessment System (RMCAS)

The International Records Management Trust has demonstrated that there is currently little capacity or infrastructure in the developing world for managing government records as authentic evidence of policies, transactions, activities and entitlements. Records management itself will not halt corruption and bring about accountability, but it is an essential contributor to public sector integrity. The Records Management Capacity Assessment System (RMCAS) provides a means of assessing records management policies, procedures and resources against established international standards. It uses a diagnostic model, based on the records life cycle, to identify strengths, weaknesses and risk areas, and links with a database of training and capacity-building materials that can be used to plan improvements. Designed initially to measure records and information systems in the financial management, human resource management and legal and judicial areas, it can also be applied generically. The RMCAS software application will shortly be available, free of charge, through the Internet or in CD-ROM format. RMCAS can be applied flexibly to take account of variations in size of institutions and the administrative contexts in which they operate, as well as developmental and national aspirations. It can be applied to both paper and digital records and assesses the relationship between paper and electronic systems.

A Note on Public Sector Integration: The Decline of British Naval Aviation, 1914–1945

Economists have traditionally confined their study of mergers to the economy's private sector. Over the years a body of knowledge has contributed to our understanding of corporate buyouts and acquisitions. But what about the public sector? Can an industrial organization framework tell us anything about the performance of a public enterprise once amalgamated? This note suggests that industrial organization can offer some insight into government mergers. Our case study focuses on Great Britain's treatment of its naval aviation unit, the Royal Naval Air Service. The time, 1914 to 1945, covers naval aviation's evolution from the First through the Second World War. Specifically, Britain's aviation consolidation played a pivotal role in arresting the Royal Navy's once heralded lead in naval aviation.

Employee adjustment to large-scale organisational change

The present study was designed to test the utility of a stress-coping model of employee adjustment to organisational change. Specifically, it was proposed that employee adjustment to this type of work stress would be influenced by the characteristics of the change situation, employees' appraisals of the situation, their coping strategies, and the extent of their personal resources. Data were collected from 140 middle managers and supervisors involved in a large-scale public sector integration. The results of the research provided some support for the proposed model: high levels of psychological distress were related to a reliance on informal sources of information, high appraised stress, low appraised certainty, and the use of avoidant rather than problem-focused strategies, whereas poor social functioning was associated with low self-esteem, high levels of disruption across the period of change, a reliance on informal sources of information, and the use of avoidant coping strategies. There was no evidence that coping strategies mediated the effects of the event characteristics, situational appraisals, and personal resources on adjustment; however, there was some evidence linking these variables to coping strategies, in particular, problem-focused coping. There was also some evidence to indicate that the experience of organisational change was different for managers and supervisors: levels of threat were higher for the managers than the supervisors, but there was no difference between the groups of employees in terms of adjustment.

The public sector and European integration

Recent publicity on the single European market has concentrated our attention on the impact of Europe on the private sector. Potentially, however, the impact on the public sector will be equally significant. Public sector organisations will be drawn into the process of opening up markets, with consequences for their policy and management that few people yet appreciate.