Political Corruption Research Articles

Legislating for Good Governance in the Pharmaceutical Sector through UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) Compliance

ABSTRACT Pharmaceutical sector corruption undermines patient access to medicines by diverting public funds for private gain and exacerbating health inequities. This paper presents an analysis of UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) compliance in seven countries and examines how full UNCAC adoption may reduce corruption risks within four key pharmaceutical decision-making points: product approval, formulary selection, procurement, and dispensing. Countries were selected based on their participation in the Medicines Transparency Alliance and the WHO Good Governance for Medicines Programme. Each country’s domestic anti-corruption laws and policies were catalogued and analysed to evaluate their implementation of select UNCAC Articles relevant to the pharmaceutical sector. Countries displayed high compliance with UNCAC provisions on procurement and the recognition of most public sector corruption offences. However, several countries do not penalise private sector bribery or provide statutory protection to whistleblowers or witnesses in corruption proceedings, suggesting that private sector pharmaceutical dispensing may be a decision-making point particularly vulnerable to corruption. Fully implementing the UNCAC is a meaningful first step that countries can take reduce pharmaceutical sector corruption. However, without broader commitment to cultures of transparency and institutional integrity, corruption legislation alone is likely insufficient to ensure long-term, sustainable pharmaceutical sector good governance.

Injustice and poverty as a threat to the national security of Ukraine

Injustice, poverty, socio-economic inequality are analyzed from the point of view of factors that threaten the national security of Ukraine. The sources of injustice lie in the nature of man, his natural selfishness, the desire to satisfy his needs at the expense of other people. Social injustice manifests itself in conflicts between society and the government, and individuals. Economic manifestations of injustice are noticeable when the principle of equivalence of remuneration for an individual’s work is violated in social relations or there is non-equivalent punishment for the damage caused. Injustice in the sphere of political relations manifests itself as a violation of the rights and freedoms of citizens guaranteed by current legislation. Injustice in legal relations appears as a violation of the principle of equality of all citizens before the law. Achieving socio-economic equality is hindered by corruption, which is a huge threat to national security. The consequence of injustice is the stratification of society into rich and poor, the destruction of the middle class. Injustice has a specific effect on political relations, the implementation of state policy at all levels, and makes the formation of civil society impossible. The result of this form of people’s life is marginalization and socio-economic degradation of society, which leads to crises, conflicts, anomie, tensions and social explosions. Injustice, poverty, and socioeconomic inequality are significant threats to national security. Modern science should investigate the main factors of the reproduction of social injustice, find ways to overcome poverty and introduce an effective mechanism for the elimination of social and economic inequality. In view of the spread of corruption in Ukraine, failure to bring corrupt officials to justice, which is provided for by the current legislation, and other violations of the law, we can also talk about legal inequality, which is unacceptable in a civilized state and is the greatest threat to the national security of Ukraine.

Darker Legacies Of Anti-corruption: Fascist Criticisms of the Law in Inter-war Romania

Abstract The aim of this article is to open a new way of understanding corruption by examining its place within the law and culture of the European semi-periphery, with a focus on inter-war Romania. My intention is to operate a twofold displacement of the analysis of the anti-corruption and the status of constitutional practice in this context. First, I aim to reposition the question of political corruption within a jurisprudential and legal historical context. In this way I inquire what is the legal theoretical importance of political corruption in a post-dependency context? In other words, what can the representation of corruption entail for law, and for a particular legal historical trajectory within the European periphery. Second, I move towards exploring the context of the inter-war period as well as the discursive construction of political corruption within the law and through the fascist criticism levelled against it.

The Trace of Professionalization in the South African Public Service Amendment Bill and Public Administration Management Bill: A Comparative Analysis

The South African public sector has over the years seen erosion of professionalization and proliferation of corruption which is perpetuated largely through supply chain management processes. Politicians, officials, and business people are equally involved in the corrupt practices and more than anything it is driven by greed and indifference to the needs of the poverty-stricken communities. What is even worse is that the money stolen is meant to serve poor people and is stolen by relatively rich people. Erosion of ethical governance in the public sector has directly affected professionalization of the public service. Employees who do not qualify or meet the requirements are appointed to positions of authority so that they can pay back to those who appointed them through tenders. These corrupt officials become untouchable and cannot be disciplined even if there are proven allegations on financial misconduct. Corruption also erodes professionalization by chasing away true professionals from the public sector. That is the reason why many South African professionals are leaving the country and relocating to countries like Australia, New Zealand, etc. The South African government has tried through legislation to combat corruption in the public service and promote professionalization, but it is still too early to see if these attempts are successful or not. It is for this reason that this study focused on tracing professionalization in the Public Service Bill and Public Administration Management Bill. The comparative analysis revealed that the Public Service Bill can identify and address strategic and systemic challenges that will inhibit professionalization of the public sector and put some mechanisms to deal with those challenges. Whilst the Public Administration Management Bill is not necessarily criticised for not being upfront with the reforms that will help professionalization, its focus by its very nature is the administration and management of the provisions of the Public Service Act. It therefore remains to be seen if there will be any changes brought about by these amendments when they are accented into law by the President. The research was able to trace the elements that promote and support professionalization in the two Bills. However, it remains to be seen if, once these Bills are accented into law, they are implementable and can achieve the objectives of the respective amendments. On the main the two Bills aim to eradicate political interference from administration. The recommendation is that all parties involved (politicians and officials) should respect these two pieces of legislation and implement them as they are for the benefit of the public service.

Criminal Behavior Politician During Reform in Indonesia

Criminal behavior politician during reform in Indonesia perspective white-collar crime is a crime committed by respectable men in corporation and government environments. This study aims to assess and analyze the behavior of white-collar criminals involving an individual of state officials, parliament or political parties politicians and the ruling government in Indonesia during the reform period. This study is qualitative research based on the literature, journals and reporting publications of Indonesian white-collar crime. The result of study concluded that white-collar crime in Indonesia has reached a very alarming level. This crime could even can be called state organized crime in a corrupt government. This crime is based on the achievement of individual interests, group or political party and retains the power. The lack of success of Indonesian government in resolving the case of state officials or politicians involved in corruption, collusion and nepotism rapidly, lightly court decisions, many cases delayed in its prosecution process, even termination of the case of important officials state to be indication the weakness of law enforcement against white-collar criminals in Indonesia. This happens due to the severity of conflict of interest so the solution is often based on the interests or political bargaining and abuse of power. This situation reinforces Hobbes’ theory that a crime act, and fault can be assessed otherwise when the ruling government decided that the action was not malicious and wrong. This means that a value either good or evil depending on the assessments decision committed by the authorities.

Internal threats to the national security of Ukraine

A general theoretical description of the main internal threats to the national security of Ukraine is presented. Threats, risks and challenges are distinguished. It is emphasized that the problem of social inequality, economic stratification of the population and injustice is acute in Ukraine. The gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow. It causes anxiety and crime, which is, as is known, a significant threat to human rights and freedoms, national security. The global problem of today is terrorism, which poses a significant danger to human rights, is not only a criminal, but also a military-political threat, a new form of war, as we can see in the example of the war with Russia, when Russian troops kill the civilian population of Ukraine, destroy residential buildings and objects of critical infrastructure. Restrictions of rights and freedoms, ineffectiveness of the law, inefficiency of the authorities, which are too popular in a corrupt society, are also a threat. Demographic losses and the lack of a clear image of the country's future complete the perception of internal threats. The author concludes that corruption and war occupy a special place in the system of threats to national security. Corruption undermines democracy, the rule of law, hinders the effective provision of public services and nullifies people's hopes for security, without which it is impossible to fully realize human rights and freedoms. In a corrupt country, corrupt people get rich on war, steal material aid and funds allocated to Ukraine by other countries, international organizations, even funds collected by the population to help the military. By their actions, corrupt officials convince the whole world that its help is a useless thing, because it can be stolen. The facts of corruption are used by the enemy to incite the population to protest, which also does not contribute to national security.

Critical Review: The Impact of Political Prisons on Political Participation (The Case of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood)

Many revolutionary figures throughout history proved their corrupted intention whenever they reached authority (e.g., the Iranian revolution, Burma’s Aung Suu Kyi). Some political leaders in Egypt claim they own it all depending on whom they represented in the latest major social uprising, and they define what is moral or who shall be the target for future political manoeuvres of the ruling military regime. With no one taking the lead for democratising the system, and the ex-minister of defence, incumbent President Abdelfattah Al-Sisi allegedly caught up in an internal fight with a corrupt government, the country’s better future seems to be a long and arduous struggle away. This paper addresses the overlapping and misleading media and political utterances of Egyptian opposition, who either takes a popular stand or loses followers through democratisation itself.

Corruption and Co-Optation in Autocracy: Evidence from Russia

Do corrupt officials govern differently in elected office? This article develops a theoretical framework and analyzes new data from financial disclosures to estimate the governing costs of corruption. First, I uncover substantial hidden wealth held by roughly one quarter of the legislators in the Russian Duma; these “kompromat deputies” are vulnerable to damaging information being used against them by the regime. Analyzing their behavior in office, I find that these deputies are less active and more absent members of parliament. When called to vote, kompromat deputies from the opposition also more eagerly support the regime’s political agenda. Finally, kompromat deputies are less likely to win reelection, suggesting that they have shorter time horizons as well as that parties have incentives to rotate them out. Autocrats permit and then monitor corruption in order to co-opt potential challengers, who in turn trade loyalty to the regime in exchange for opportunities to self-enrich.

KORUPSI POLITIK DAN PELANGGARAN HAK ASASI MANUSIA DI INDONESIA

The number of political elites who hold positions both in parliamentary institutions and regional heads and ministers has influenced the increase in the number of political corruption in Indonesia. However, until now there has been no regulation that is able to reduce the number of political corruption, both to corruptors and to improve the legal system. One of the impacts of the increasing political corruption in Indonesia is expanding human rights violations. The purpose of this study is to describe the impact of political corruption on human rights violations. This study uses descriptive qualitative research method through literature study. The results found that political corruption leads to misappropriation of the country's economy, a tyrannical system of government, the increasing practice of collusion between rulers and businessmen, the bluntness of laws and regulations and the death of the country's democracy.

Pertanggungjawaban dan Penegakan Hukum Pidana Korporasi dalam Tindak Pidana Korupsi di Indonesia

The times and business complexity have encouraged the important role of corporations in various aspects of life. On the other hand, corporations also have the potential to violate the law, including corruption. Corruption is a complex issue that has a major impact on the environment, economy and community welfare. In some cases, corruption offenses are committed by corporations, so questions arise about corporate criminal liability and law enforcement. Corporate criminal liability is a relatively new concept in Indonesia. This concept allows corporations to be convicted for criminal offenses committed by the management, directors, or employees of the corporation. Based on this relatively new concept, the regulation of corporate criminal liability and law enforcement still raises questions and legal uncertainty.

Political Stability, Corruption, and Economic Development: Evidence from WAMZ Countries

This paper examines the political stability, corruption, and economic progress of the nations that make up the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) between 2000 and 2020. To prevent misspecification bias and therefore skewed statistical results, the common features of the panel data were examined first. First of all, the CD test did not find any evidence of cross-sectional dependency across the nations, validating the use of the conventional panel unit root, which does not account for cross-sectional dependence. According to Levin et al. (2002)'s panel unit root test, the variables are integrated of order zero, or I (0).Using the panel VAR framework as a basis, the paper investigates. Emotional intelligence data demonstrated that while corruption impedes regional economic growth, political stability and the rule of law foster it. According to the findings of variance decomposition, the factors under investigation either support or impede the WAMZ countries' economic development. Based on the results the paper recommends that, transparency and accountability at all level of government affairs as well as respecting the constitution in these nations should be preserved in order to overcome all social and political injustice among the countries under study.

Political Stability, Corruption, and Economic Development : Evidence frim WAMZ Countries

The paper has analyzed the political stability, corruption and economic development in the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) countries for the period of 2000 to 2020. The common properties of the panel data were first checked to avoid mis-specification bias and hence biased statistical results. Firstly, the CD test revealed no evidence/absence of cross sectional dependence among the countries which validates the use of traditional panel unit root that does not take account of cross-sectional dependence. The results of panel unit root test proposed by Levin et al (2002) revealed that the variables are integrated of order zero i.e. I (0). Based on this, the paper explores within the panel VAR framework. Evidence from impulse response functions revealed that, political stability and rule of low are economic development promoters while corruption hampers economic development in the region. The results from variance decomposition indicate that the variables under study contribute or hinder economic development in the WAMZ countries. Based on the results the paper recommends that, transparency and accountability at all level of government affairs as well as respecting the constitution in these nations should be preserved in order to overcome all social and political injustice among the countries under study.

Political Stability, Corruption, and Economic Development: Evidence from WAMZ Countries

This paper examines the political stability, corruption, and economic progress of the nations that make up the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) between 2000 and 2020. To prevent misspecification bias and therefore skewed statistical results, the common features of the panel data were examined first. First of all, the CD test did not find any evidence of cross-sectional dependency across the nations, validating the use of the conventional panel unit root, which does not account for cross-sectional dependence. According to Levin et al. (2002)'s panel unit root test, the variables are integrated of order zero, or I (0).Using the panel VAR framework as a basis, the paper investigates. Emotional intelligence data demonstrated that while corruption impedes regional economic growth, political stability and the rule of law foster it. According to the findings of variance decomposition, the factors under investigation either support or impede the WAMZ countries' economic development. Based on the results the paper recommends that, transparency and accountability at all level of government affairs as well as respecting the constitution in these nations should be preserved in order to overcome all social and political injustice among the countries under study

Corruption and Good Governance in Africa: A Hermeneutical Analysis

Human beings are social and communal animals and cannot but live in an ordered society and have interactive relationships, hence good governance, which is essential for their well-being and development. This fact grounds their forming governmental apparatus to coordinate the things that are common to them; otherwise, violence and warfare may continue unabated. Good governance does not just happen. Those elected or appointed into positions of governance need to be effective, efficient and exhibit an ethical character to ensure that the good life constitutive of the promotion of human rights, provision of social facilities, and all that provide a better life for the people are in place. In the African continent, many of those in governance, instead of working for the public good to ensure a better life for their citizens, serve their private and parochial interests to the detriment of the welfare of the people by engaging in massive corruption. Corruption, especially political and public, has grave effects on the economy and the lives of the people all over the continent. Massive corruption has siphoned public funds for development projects and lodged them in foreign banks. This has led to poverty and underdevelopment, weakened sustainable development goals, caused youth restiveness, led to forced migration, poor environmental growth, and loss of millions of lives. Problematized in this paper is a continent endowed and blessed with natural and human resources but remains the poorest, most undeveloped continent in the world because of corruption. The paper used hermeneutics and critical analytic methods to examine corruption as an impediment to good governance in Africa. The hermeneutics method was used to interpret, decipher, and highlight the importance of this work’s principal concepts. The critical-analytic method was used to rationalize the arguments. The paper found that massive corruption is decimating the continent and that there is a need to combat it to ensure good governance. It concluded that combating corruption will help create a better continent where people enjoy a good life and democratic entitlements

Harnessing the Potentials of Tourism in Nigeria through Public Relations

It is not in doubt that Nigeria is endowed with vast, diverse and captivating tourism resources that have the ability of transforming positively the nation’s socioeconomic sector if properly managed and harnessed for the common good. Unfortunately, despite the availability of these enormous tourism potentials, we are not benefiting in any measure as governments of the three tiers, that is federal, state and local, do not even consider tourism or its development as a viable source of foreign exchange earnings and a catalyst for national development in this period of severe economic challenges confronting the nation. The first sign of lethargy is the conspicuous absence of strong institutions or policies that ought to be the fulcrum of the development of the tourism industry in the country. It is common knowledge that Nigeria is assailed by security challenges in virtually every part of the country. Apart from insecurity, the country is equally challenged by endemic corruption, kidnapping, terrorism and poor governance which is preventing it from developing a globally competitive tourism industry. This paper examines ways in which tourism policy, if well planned and effectively executed, will benefit the socioeconomic sector. It also highlights major challenges hindering the tourism industry and how effective and efficient public relations practices will create sufficient awareness on the problems and solutions in the industry. Findings revealed that the major setback faced by the tourism industry is lack of government interest in all ramifications.

Bribe-Switching

The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) prohibits the payment of bribes to foreign public officials. We uncover an unintended consequence—the shadow economies of the countries of these officials increase after FCPA enforcement. Our hypothesis is that corrupt officials may be switching to taking bribes from illegal markets. We find that one case of FCPA enforcement alone increases the shadow economy by as much as 0.27 percentage points (pp), tree loss—an indicator of illegal logging—by 0.027 pp, and trade misinvoicing by 0.5 pp. Our results suggest the need to harmonize anti-corruption policies across all sectors—legal and illegal.

MEXICO’S DEMOCRACY UNDER THREAT? EFFECTS OF FEAR AND CORRUPTION IN MEXICO: UPDATED

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to expose public attitudes in Mexico towards the perceived success or failure of democracy in the country, and possible support for authoritarian alternatives that might be perceived as more successful in delivering justice and security. Theoretical Framework: Mexico’s new democracy has stalled due to severe and persistent corruption scandals and an overwhelming security and justice crisis, heightened by an explosion of violence associated with narcotics trafficking organized crime. The situation is serious enough to question the survival of democracy in Mexico. Design/Approach: This paper presents and analyzes data from the Americas Barometers of 2006 - 2019 that cover the main period of extreme insecurity in Mexico. Findings: The article confirms that Mexicans are disappointed with the way democracy works in Mexico. Their frustration is driven by several factors: perceptions of political corruption, concerns for the country’s safety and security, and their economic situation. The most salient concerns have to do with corrupt politicians and security. A substantial proportion of the Mexican public is considering trading democracy for security. Research, Practical, & Social Implications: Further study should examine if there is support for extra-legal suppression of crime, if support has increased perhaps out of frustration, and the complex relationship Mexicans have with the widespread perception that both the political system and the justice system is irrevocably corrupt. Originality/Value: The issue of the survival of nascent democracy is of great interest in comparative politics and Latin American studies. The broader question is how to help youg democracies mature into healthy democracies.

What does the population in Niger think about a military government?

ABSTRACT Using the Round 9 Afrobarometer survey data for Niger, this study examined the determinants of support for military intervention with particular focus on political instability, perceived corruption in the democratic government, and socioeconomic deprivation. The descriptive results showed that Nigeriens generally do not have a strong aversion towards military rule. In fact, about 70 percent of them agreed that the military should intervene when the democratic government is corrupt. The regression results showed that political instability, which was measured using the total number of violent conflict incidents in the region where respondents resided, was positively correlated with support for military intervention. This might be because people who are exposed to violence feel that a military government would do a better job at providing security. Perceived corruption in government was also positively correlated with support for military intervention. This might be because corruption engenders discontent with democratic institutions, prompting people to see military intervention as a way of curtailing the democratic government’s excesses. Socioeconomic deprivation was negatively correlated with support for military intervention, which suggests that the poor prefer democracy to a military government.

President Mwanawasa’s transition to transformational leadership in combating political corruption in Zambia

Orientation: Transformational leadership styles, characterised by vision, ethical behaviour and self-awareness are crucial for institutional change and combating political corruption; yet, the current knowledge on their relationships is limited.Research purpose: The study investigates the influence of political and institutional context, personality traits and leadership behaviours on President Mwanawasa’s anti-corruption campaign in Zambia.Motivation for the study: There is a scarcity of academic research on the complex connections between political leadership, personal characteristics, political institutions and political corruption.Research approach/design and method: This qualitative study utilised purposive sampling; semi-structured interviews with five key informants; and secondary data that were gathered through literature study and documentation analysis. Wilber’s four-quadrant model was used for thematic data analysis.Main findings: The study highlights the importance of transformational leadership, particularly visionary and ethical leadership, in combating political corruption. It emphasises the relationship between values, emotional intelligence and leadership transition, and describes the shift from transactional to transformational leadership by advancing through stages of ego development.Practical/managerial implications: The study emphasises the importance of considering contextual factors when addressing corruption and its implications for political leadership, institutional norms, governance and leadership transitions in public policy and practice.Contribution/value-add: The study enhances understanding of political corruption by utilising a multidimensional analytical approach that considers individual and institutional consciousness domains. It also enhances comprehension of leadership behaviours and personal growth by examining ego development stages and leadership transition.

Political corruption in the Arab Mediterranean countries: an innovative typology

ABSTRACT Corruption is a major challenge in the Arab Mediterranean countries (AMCs). The fight against it was a key point in the Arab uprisings, yet since then and despite the international community’s attempts to support anti-corruption strategies, the governments of the AMCs have not been able to address effectively the demands of their population. The article compares the anti-corruption initiatives in four AMCs: two republican semi-presidential systems (Egypt, Tunisia) and two constitutional monarchies (Jordan, Morocco). It focuses on their fight against political corruption, which has different forms. To reduce corruption, policymakers advocate the decentralization of power, as it leads to more accountability and transparency. The article unpacks the idea of decentralization and asks to what extent it contributes to reducing political corruption in the region. In doing so, the article produces a new typology that adds two important factors that contribute to a better understanding of the links between anti-corruption initiatives and decentralization: the challenges to the political survival of the government and the type of external support to fight corruption. The findings show that decentralization measures frequently result in administrative deconcentration rather than the decentralization of decision-making. Thus, they reproduce political corruption in the region.