Official Authorities Research Articles

"If government is saying the regulations are important, they should be putting in funding to back it up."- An in-depth analysis of local authority officers' perspectives of the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021.

As part of the UK government's obesity strategy, the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 were implemented in October 2022 to restrict the prominent placement of products high in fat, sugar, or salt (HFSS) in most retail settings. Local authority (LA) officers have been tasked with enforcement of these regulations. This qualitative study examined the perspectives of LA officers including, trading standards, environmental health, and public health officers to understand enforcement approaches and requirements to optimise business compliance with the regulations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted via MS Teams with a purposive sample of LA officers across England. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. The 22 participants comprised 13 officers from Trading Standards, six from Environmental Health, and three from Public Health teams. The key messages include the following: (i) the regulations are complex and do not align with existing enforcement approaches, (ii) officers' professional background will result in variable enforcement practices, and (iii) compliance assessment is an arduous task. LAs are facing resource and workforce constraints and have to prioritise regulations addressing high health risks (e.g., allergens). Therefore, officers will mostly apply a light touch approach to enforcement, raising awareness and engaging with businesses rather than issuing notices. To develop a consistent enforcement approach across LAs, officers asked for (i) further leadership from central government in the form of funding, training, and tools to determine in-scope businesses and products, (ii) cross-departmental collaboration to raise the regulations' priority at local and regional levels, and (iii) greater consumer demand for healthier retail environments. It is crucial to address both structural challenges such as resource allocation, workforce, and prioritisation issues as well as the inherent complexity of the regulations to strengthen enforcement efforts. Our findings highlight the necessity of supporting enforcement activities at national and regional government levels to avoid potential false conclusions about ineffectiveness of regulations.

Nurse’s Knowledge Sharing in Time of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Expert Opinion

This study aimed to review the effective factors, tools and methods of knowledge sharing used by nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. This mix-methods study was conducted in 2023 and included two stages. In the first stage, a systematic review of relevant literature was conducted. In the second stage, a panel of 10 experts justified and appended the findings of the previous stage. The main source of knowledge during the COVID-19 epidemic was social networks followed by official authorities, online training courses, media and colleagues. Different factors affecting knowledge sharing among nurses categorised into process-oriented factors, Human-oriented factors, Technology-oriented factors and organisation-oriented factors. Various known and innovative methods have been used by nurses to share knowledge during the COVID-19 pandemic including utilising social networks, Telementoring, team approaches for new staff and continuous training in line with the latest scientific findings. Nurses used both formal and informal sources to explore evidence supporting evolving clinical practices and social networks were a prominent source of knowledge during the pandemic. By recognising the significance of affecting factors, healthcare organisations can enhance nurses’ ability to effectively share knowledge, ultimately improving patient outcomes and overall healthcare response during similar crises in the future.

Penguatan Kepastian Hukum Kewenangan Kejaksaan Sebagai Penyidik dalam Tindak Pidana Korupsi Sidang Perkara Nomor 28/Puu-Xxi/2023

Corruption cases in Indonesia still really need attention considering that the consequences can be detrimental to the state and society. Handling the eradication of corruption is then carried out by several state institutions which are given direct authority by law, one of which is through the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Indonesia. Legal certainty of authority is very necessary to create harmony between government institutions and avoid overlapping authority. Furthermore, in writing this article, we used an approach method, namely an empirical method with descriptive analytical research specifications. The formulation of the problem raised in this article is regarding legal certainty in strengthening the prosecutor's office as an investigator in criminal acts of corruption. Furthermore, the purpose of this article is to analyze legal certainty or the legal standing of the authority of the prosecutor's office as an investigator in criminal acts of corruption. The authority of the Prosecutor's Office is contained in Article 30 paragraph (1) letter d of Law 5 of 1991 concerning the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Indonesia which was later declared invalid by Law 16 of 2004 in conjunction with Law Number 11 of 2021 concerning Amendments to Law Number 16 of 2004 concerning the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Indonesia. Then in Article 26 of Law no. 19 of 2019 Second amendment to UU No. 31 of 1999 concerning Corruption Crimes.

Unveiling the Interconnections Between Art, Politics, and Society in the Soviet System Through Art: A Case Study of the Exhibition “1972. Breaking Through the Wall”

Summary This article is dedicated to analysing the exhibition “1972. Breaking Through the Wall” from several perspectives: the curator, the viewers, and the exhibition architect tasked with creating an environment for the art exhibition in an unconventional setting. The article examines the curators’ choices, discusses the work of the exhibition architect within the context of heritage conservation requirements, and presents the results of a viewer survey. This exhibition raised the issue of the significance of alternative creativity, opposed to the official narrative, in a non-free society. It focused on Lithuanian art from the 1960s to the 1980s that countered the official Soviet cultural course. The exhibition’s prehistory includes the historical fact that in the spring of 1972, a young man self-immolated in Kaunas in protest against the lack of freedom. These events had direct and indirect reverberations in the arts, although they were not exhibited at the time due to fear of repression. This difficult experience has left its mark on Lithuanian culture and collective memory. The exhibition highlighted the role of various societal groups in opposing the ruling authorities and establishing personal and creative freedom as the highest value. The art display, composed of works from professionals (fine arts, theatre) and amateurs (rock and big beat musicians) from the 1960s to 1980s who resisted official Soviet art, clearly demonstrated how Kaunas – the capital of Lithuania from 1920 to 1940 – was influenced by the city’s prominent pre-war modernism (environment and lifestyle) and the Soviet ideology imposed on the entire country. The clash of two diametrically opposed ideological stances and artistic principles in Soviet Lithuania led to the emergence of an alternative culture. For the first time in the history of Lithuanian exhibitions, this exhibition showed how the social and the arts were affected by the pressure exerted by the official authorities. The visitor survey showed that the positive reactions to the exhibition were also due to socio-political events that have become embedded in the nation’s memory. The events stored in the collective memory of the nation correlated with specific creative artefacts and historical details, which the younger generation saw for the first time. Noteworthy was the symbiosis of emotional experiences among visitors of different ages, observing exhibits with both artistic and historical value. As indicated by the visitor survey, the exhibition facilitated the establishment of a closer connection between generations. The exhibition’s display in a cultural heritage site – the former post office building (by architect Feliksas Vizbaras, 1932) – was a complex task creatively resolved by contemporary architects.

Integrating AI in cause-of-death regular statistical production with human and expert system codings

Abstract Background Cause-of-death (CoD) statistics are key indicators in epidemiology and public health. These statistics are derived from death certificates completed by physicians and are usually coded by official statistics authorities according to the standards of the WHO ICD-10 classification to construct time- and cross-country-comparable statistics. For coding causes of death in free-text format in France according to ICD-10, predictions by deep neural networks (DNNs) are employed in addition to fully automatic batch coding by a rule-based expert system and to interactive coding by the coding team. Methods Seq-to-seq DNNs are trained from scratch on previously coded data to ICD-10 code multiple causes and underlying causes of death. Human coding is focused on certificates with a special public health interest or with low confidence in AI prediction quality to maximize the quality of the overall statistics disseminated when human resources are limited. DNNs also directly predict multiple causes and underlying causes of death for part of the certificates. Hence, the coding campaign aims to optimally allocate a coding mode to a given certificate. Results For deaths in 2021, 63% of the certificates are automatically batch coded by the expert system, 14% by the coding team, and 23% by DNNs. Compared to a traditional campaign that would have relied on automatic batch coding and manual coding, the present campaign reaches an accuracy of 95.7% for ICD-10 coding of the underlying cause (97.3% at the European shortlist level). Conclusions The 3-coding mode approach enables timeliness of dissemination of CoD statistics and may lead in the future to more responsive surveillance. Key messages • Deep neural networks trained on already coded data can be integrated into the regular statistical production of the CoD database in a fully controlled way. • The allocation between the different modes of coding can be optimized to achieve best quality and timeliness under the constraint of limited human resources.

Azərbaycan Respublikasının Prokurorluğunun hüquqi statusu, vəziyyəti və inkişaf perspektivləri (prosessual aspektdə)

The prosecutor's office in the Republic of Azerbaijan is the basis for ensuring the rule of law and protecting the rights and interests of citizens within the framework of the country's legislation. This article aims to examine the legal situation, current conditions and future prospects of the Azerbaijani prosecutor's office, paying special attention to its procedural functions. The legal authority of the prosecutor's office is determined by the national Constitution and relevant legislation. Currently, the current state of the prosecutor's office is characterized by a number of challenges and opportunities. It should be noted that the prosecutor's office in Azerbaijan plays an important role in the legal system of the country. The prosecutor's office contributes to the rule of law and the protection of the rights and interests of citizens by solving the problems encountered and using the opportunities that have arisen. Keywords: Republic of Azerbaijan, prosecution, procedural aspect, ınvestigation, court procedures, legal status, rule of law, ınternational standards.

Studying Abroad as a Means of Preparing Future Music Teachers in China

The concept of studying abroad as a means of preparing future music teachers in China has a rich and complex history, reflecting the nation’s evolving educational philosophies, political changes, and cultural exchanges. The purpose of this study is to present the genesis of using studying abroad as part of the professional training for future music teachers, detailing the goals and social mandates across various stages of Chinese state development. The article also draws attention to the organic "embeddedness" of such a means of training future music teachers in the Chinese system of professional and higher music-pedagogical education, especially of vocal practices that are not traditional for Chinese culture. Methodology. The study employs a historical-analytical approach, examining primary and secondary sources to trace the evolution of studying abroad as a practice for Chinese music educators. This includes an analysis of normative documents and policy papers available on official educational authority and institution websites. Additionally, qualitative data from interviews with contemporary music educators who have studied abroad provide insights into current practices and perceptions. The findings reveal that the practice of studying abroad for music education, primarily for personal music career development and secondarily for teaching, has been prevalent throughout Chinese history, and has undergone significant transformations over the past century. In the modern period, China continues to send a significant number of students abroad, supported by initiatives such as the China Scholarship Council and ‘One Belt – One Road’ Initiative. These programs facilitate grant support and promote cultural exchange and international cooperation, enriching the professional development of future music teachers in China. The study concludes that international educational experiences have profoundly impacted Chinese music education. Educators trained abroad have introduced diverse musical styles, innovative teaching methodologies, and a global perspective that enhance the learning experience of Chinese students. The integration of international practices has elevated the standards of music education in China, and gained global recognition. However, challenges remain in balancing traditional Chinese music with Western influences, and ensuring equitable access to international education opportunities. The study highlights the need for continuous adaptation and the development of strategies to address these challenges, ensuring that the benefits of studying abroad are fully realised in the Chinese educational context.

Pengaruh Kompetensi dan Disiplin terhadap Kinerja Pegawai Dimediasi Motivasi pada Kantor Kesyahbandaran dan Otoritas Pelabuhan Kelas IV Muara Sabak

This study aims to determine and describe the picture of competence, discipline, motivation and performance of employees at the Port Master and Port Authority Office Class IV Muara Sabak and to determine and analyze the influence of competence and discipline on employee performance mediated by motivation at the Port Master and Port Authority Office Class IV Muara Sabak. The type of research uses descriptive verification research. The object of this study is the Port Authority Office and Class IV Muara Sabak Port Authority. This study uses the PLS analysis method. Based on the results of the study, competence has a positive and significant effect on motivation, discipline has a positive and significant effect on motivation, competence has a positive and significant effect on employee performance, discipline has a positive and significant effect on employee performance, motivation has a positive and significant effect on employee performance, competence has a positive and significant effect on employee performance and discipline has a positive and significant effect on employee performance mediated by motivation at the Port Authority Office and Class IV Muara Sabak Port Authority.

Echoes of violence: experiences of Palestinian Arab students in Israeli academia during the violent events of May 2021

AbstractThis paper investigates the challenges faced by Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel (PAI) who are students in Israeli higher education institutions amidst periods of national turbulence and violence, particularly focusing on the violent events of May 2021. Using interviews with students, academics, and members of civil society organisations, the paper puts forth a constructivist grounded theory model that charts the impact of the violent events of May 2021 on PAI students. It reveals that students’ experiences of violence, in various forms, give rise to a host of emotional, social, and political processes that heighten their awareness of the structural violence of the broader Israeli-Palestinian struggle. In response, PAI students withdraw both physically and mentally from their campuses and concurrently mobilise within their communities to address unmet needs neglected by official authorities. The perceptions of PAI students regarding their institutions’ responses to political issues are marked by intense cynicism—a sentiment that is mitigated by individual supportive initiatives by faculty members. Based on the findings, the paper argues that periods of political escalation are not to be viewed as fleeting events that heighten emotions but rather as critical junctures where identities and perceptions are formed, leaving an impact that lasts long after the immediate turbulence subsides.

Legal personality of officials of the prosecution authorities in criminal proceedings

In modern criminal procedural science, there is no doubt that the prosecutor and subordinate prosecution officers are participants in criminal proceedings. Separate disputes arise only when discussing the issue of classifying the prosecutor as a party to the prosecution. At the same time, the role and functions of officials of the prosecution authorities in criminal proceedings are not so obvious and unambiguous. Although Part1 of Article37 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation assigns the functions of supervision and criminal prosecution to the prosecutor, the heads of the prosecution authorities and the employees subordinate to them do not always pursue these goals, and officials of the prosecution authorities do not always act in the status of a prosecutor or public prosecutor. Analyzing the current norms of criminal procedural legislation and comparing them with the actual legal personality of prosecutorial employees entering into relations with participants in criminal proceedings, the author substantiates the conclusion about the necessity to distinguish between two fundamentally different legal statuses of the prosecution officials. The first one is the official status of the prosecutor as the head of the prosecution authority, allowing him to exercise state powers to supervise the preliminary investigation bodies without accepting the additional procedural status of a participant in legal proceedings. The second one is the criminal procedural status acquired by an official of the prosecution authority, including a prosecutor, for a certain period (stage, phase) of criminal proceedings to carry out one of two procedural functions – criminal prosecution (acquires the status of a public prosecutor) or law enforcement function, protection of the interests of an individual, society and the state (acquires the status of other prosecutor or a prosecutor representative).

Flexible compliance: utility and legitimacy in Jerusalem

ABSTRACT Disadvantaged residents in contested cities often mistrust and resist official authorities due to historical deprivation. However, their urgent needs compel them to approach municipal bodies, both formally and informally, exhibiting ‘flexible compliance’. Through interviews with Palestinians and a public opinion survey in Jerusalem, we analysed the preferences of Jewish-Israeli and Palestinian residents for public goods provision. Results indicate that Palestinian residents prefer unofficial institutions, but this varies by location. Inner-city and outer-city East Jerusalem residents prefer the municipal government, while those beyond the separation wall favour the community councils. We elucidate flexible compliance and propose municipal tools to address it.

The Influence of Soviet State Policy on School Everyday Life in Kazakhstan (1945–1955)

Introduction. The work reconstructs the ideological component of Soviet children’s everyday school life in Kazakhstan, which had a huge impact on their socialization. Methods and materials. The methodological basis of the study is the theory of the sociologist P. Sztompka about the significance of “cultural trauma” in the biography of any generation of people – social tension associated with changes in society, the transformation of its values. The method of narrative interview was used in the work. Interviews were conducted with over 20 respondents whose childhood was spent in Kazakhstan in 1945–1965. Analysis. Archival data and recollections of respondents show that the school, which traditionally carried out a certain order of society, was the main mechanism in the formation of the “new Soviet person.” During the period under study, the “order” was to form a Soviet identity, with which the Soviet school and socio-political organizations represented by the pioneers and the Komsomol in Kazakhstan successfully coped. Everyday school practice reflected the ideological component of school education – all respondents, assessing their childhood from today’s standpoint, are aware of the degree of this influence. Results. A number of mechanisms were analyzed through which the official Soviet authorities formed the consciousness of the future “builders of communism”: the school, ideologized and, in fact, obligatory children’s organizations, and propaganda. The identified correspondence between the propaganda ideal and the real image of a Soviet schoolchild indicates the acceptance and assimilation of socialist values by children in Kazakhstan. The data obtained open up prospects for new research on the history of Soviet children’s everyday lives. Authors contribution. A.A. Bimoldanova proposed the idea and concept of the article and wrote the final text. M.J. Bekmagambetova prepared a historiographic review, was engaged in the identification and analysis of documentary sources from the Archive of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and R.K. Bekmagambetov carried out the transcription and interpretation of the interview materials and the technical design of the text of the article. All three authors interviewed respondents.

DNA Metabarcoding Approach as a Potential Tool for Supporting Official Food Control Programs: A Case Study.

Food authentication significantly impacts consumer health and the credibility of Food Business Operators (FBOs). As European regulations mandate the verification of food authenticity and supply chain integrity, competent authorities require access to innovative analytical methods to identify and prevent food fraud. This study utilizes the DNA metabarcoding approach on meat preparations, sampled during an official control activity. It assesses animal and plant composition by amplifying DNA fragments of the 12S rRNA and trnL (UAA) genes, respectively. The results not only confirmed the declared species but also revealed undeclared and unexpected taxa in products labelled as containing a single animal species and various unspecified plant species. Notable findings such as the presence of Murinae, Sus scrofa, Ovis aries, and Pisum sativum could raise public health concerns, compromise consumer choices made for ethical or religious reasons, and reflect the hygienic conditions of the processing plant. This study demonstrates that the DNA metabarcoding approach looks to be a promising support tool for official control authorities to ensure food authenticity and safety, and to develop risk profiles along the supply chain.

Establishing national hospital costing systems: insights from the qualitative assessment of cost surveillance pilot in Indian hospitals

ObjectiveThe Indian Government launched Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), the world’s largest health insurance scheme, in 2018. To reform pricing and gather evidence on healthcare costs, a...

Implementation of Minister of Transportation Regulation No. 819 of 2018 by the Harbormaster Office and Port Authority: Challenges, Communication Strategies, and Fishermen’s Reactions in Dumai City, Riau Province

The waters of Dumai City, Riau Province, serve as an international transportation route with a strategic position in economic and industrial growth. Minister of Transportation Regulation No. 819 of 2018 was issued to regulate shipping zones and ensure the safety of port service users. However, this regulation has sparked numerous complaints from the public, particularly fishermen, due to livelihood restrictions that directly increase operational costs. To address these negative reactions, the Dumai Port Authority Office (KSOP) plays a significant role by implementing various measures in enforcing Ministerial Regulation No. 819 of 2018. This study aims to understand the communication strategies used by the Dumai Port Authority Office, especially in coordinating with stakeholders. This research uses a qualitative method, gathering data through observation and interviews. The results show that the Dumai Port Authority Office, along with the Class I Dumai Navigation District, PT Kilang Pertamina Internasional, and PT Wilmar Cahaya Asia, has a strategic role with the ability to influence policy direction and implementation. The Dumai Port Authority Office adopts strategies that involve collaboration with strategic partners, annual outreach programs, the distribution of social assistance and life jackets to the fishing community, and cooperation with relevant agencies and government institutions, including the Water Police, to monitor vessels violating regulations. Additionally, KSOP involves the participation of the community and companies, including the certification and standardization of maritime safety instruments. This study contributes to the discussion on the effectiveness of communication strategies in maritime policy implementation, where this approach can enhance understanding and acceptance of regulations within the maritime community.

Values of Coexistence in Islamic Civilization: The Relationship with Others and the Challenge of Extremism

This study employs a descriptive-analytical method to emphasize the genuineness and importance of peaceful coexistence values among religions and cultures in Islamic civilization. It specifically focuses on the interaction with others, living together, acknowledging, respecting, and collaborating with them in different aspects of shared humanity. This research examines the language of extremism by studying and analyzing it, seeing it as the primary obstacle to the principles of civic coexistence and tolerance. The research findings indicate that the key factor that sets apart the principles of peaceful coexistence among individuals, irrespective of their religious and racial backgrounds, and that necessitates the acceptance of others in Islamic ideology, is the perception of such acceptance as legitimate obligations. An individual is recognized as a Muslim only when they openly acknowledge their adherence to the Islamic faith. Through the analysis of holy writings and the Prophet's biography, the researcher concludes that any radical and divisive rhetoric that promotes the rejection of peaceful coexistence cannot be regarded as Islamic speech, and does not accurately reflect Islam and Muslims. Instead, it is an extreme rhetoric that only represents its advocates, a rhetoric that Islam disavows, just as it disavows other forms of hate speech. The research urges the official religious authorities in Arab and Islamic countries to take on the legitimate, ethical, and scientific duty of freeing religious matters from ideological manipulation and restoring the correct approach to interpreting religious texts, while avoiding extremist ideological exploitation. This proposal advocates for the promotion of harmony, resolution of misunderstandings, fostering love and unity, prevention of excommunication, defamation, and conflict. It suggests the establishment of educational programs focused on promoting peace and coexistence values, as well as encouraging research in the field of tolerance education and acceptance of others. The objective is to cultivate an intellectual atmosphere in our universities that prioritizes wisdom, reason, logic, and evidence over emotional slogans. This will result in universities producing graduates who possess values of tolerance and coexistence, equipped to challenge and dismantle hateful and extremist ideologies by exposing their flaws and removing the religious facade from their harmful ideas.

“Zhuge Kongming becomes reborn as a clownish partygoer!”: Linguistic carnivalization, critical metapragmatics of danmu, and mediatized neoliberal (inter)subjectivity

The Chinese video-sharing platform of bilibili experiences a ‘Kongming fever’, wherein danmu commenters collectively parodize the historical figure Zhuge Kongming, a pre-existing indexical of Confucianist value beliefs institutionalized by the official authority. Drawing upon Bakhtinian carnivalesque (‘free and familiar contact’ and ‘parodic profanation’), the present study proposes the analytical framework of ‘linguistic carnivalization’ as a critical metapragmatic approach (i.e., subjectivity-oriented). The multimodal analysis of danmu comments reveals how digital users appropriate multiple semiotic resources to construct carnivalesque, including vulgar linguistic varieties from media culture, netspeak genre, poetic patterns of textual repetition, and inversive sign vehicles and rescripting. As a discursive-affective effect of such carnivalization processes, Kongming’s ‘serious’ Confucianist personae and indexed ideological expectations become playfully mediatized, profaned, and transformed into new images of personhood (‘livestreaming microcelebrity’ and ‘hedonic partygoer’) according to mass popular culture. In so doing, the Chinese netizens metapragmatically negotiate existing sociocultural hierarchies and reposition themselves as neoliberal subjects. This paper further suggests that the ‘inside-out’ and ‘down-to-earth’ power of linguistic carnivalization does not simply reside in creating aesthetic humor within a local cybercommunity, but importantly owns critical implications for illuminating variegated forms of neoliberal discourse and (re)production of neoliberal subjectivity under large-scale political economic conditions.

Implementation of Organizational Structure in Gantar District, Indramayu Regency

This research aims to discuss the implementation of the sub-district organizational structure after the expansion of sub-districts in Gantar District, Indramayu Regency in 2003. The results of this research show that the implementation of the sub-district organizational structure in Gantar District is not yet completely optimal. This can be seen from (a) type of organization, (b) organizational department, (c) position and type of authority of officials, (d) field and employment relationship, (e) line of orders and responsibilities, (f) range of control and organizational leadership system which in general still shows that it has not been implemented effectively.

Discussion of Consumers’ Preference for Food Product Traceability Information: Beijing Traceable Tomato Case Study

The paper exemplifies a practical application of combining MNL, RPL and LCM econometric models to study consumer preference heterogeneity in the multi-attributive setting, by analyzing a case study of information traceability preferences of Beijing consumers who buy fresh tomatoes in the post-COVID period. Methodologically, such application of different models (MNL, RPL, LCM) has initially allowed to identify general patterns in Chinese consumers’ preference in the tomato traceability information, then to identify and categorize distinct groups of customers and finally to provide details to their ‘marketing’ profiles towards their willingness to pay. As a result, consumer groups in this study were classified around three key attributes of tomato traceability information which reflect their priorities: consumers from “Price sensitivity” group demonstrated a higher willingness to pay for information on how products were produced (production condition) and products’ certification; “Testing Information Preference” group was willing to pay for the information about tomato’s product quality detection, and “Official Authority Approval Preference” group has developed priority for information on production condition. Such methodological approach provides rather precise characteristics about three different consumer groups, and thus fills in the existing lacunae in the literature and can serve a guiding tool for designing a regional food safety policy. The suggested methodology is transferrable for analyzing consumers’ choices for traceability information about other food products and beyond China.

Features of preventing abuse of authority or official position committed by public servants

Corruption in Ukraine is recognized as a threat to national interests, sustainable development and European integration. Despite the significant efforts made by the state and international institutions to overcome corruption in the main spheres of public life, its level still remains high. When defining the essence of corruption, one should first of all proceed from the fact that it cannot be reduced to any specific socially dangerous act, to a specific offense. Corruption is the result of the historical development of society and the state, including Ukrainian society and the Ukrainian state. At the same time, in the last decade, corruption in Ukraine gained an unprecedented scope and influence on political, economic and other social processes. It іs found that the problems of countering corruption in Ukraine in many respects coincide with similar problems in other countries. This coincidence is caused by the same social essence of corruption as the corrosion of power, which consists in the abuse by officials of state authorities and local self-government bodies of power or official position for selfish or other personal interests. Regardless of the differences in the state system, the main socio-economic prerequisites of corruption are the same in principle for all countries − the imperfection of the mechanism of the exercise of power, the desire of subjects endowed with power to use this power for personal purposes, and the main directions of combating corruption − restrictions, neutralization and elimination of its social prerequisites, causes and conditions of corrupt acts, determination of restrictions and prohibitions for civil servants, establishment of responsibility for their violation. The reduction of corruption to a certain type of offense by a certain part of scientists and practitioners is one of the most significant mistakes in the understanding of corruption. Corruption is a social phenomenon that has social conditions, social patterns of development and exerts a negative influence on social processes. Existing in society and being a product of social relations, it permeates various social spheres of society, deforming social relations in different ways.