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Anti‐corruption law in local government: Legal issues related to ordinance‐design and municipal‐level anti‐corruption agencies in Macedonia

Bryane Michael (University of Oxford, Oxford, UK)
Stephen Mendes (European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine, Odesa, Ukraine)

International Journal of Law and Management

ISSN: 1754-243X

Article publication date: 3 February 2012

1140

Abstract

Purpose

Macedonian municipalities should pass anti‐corruption ordinances in order to reduce corruption. The purpose of this paper is to review the legal issues involved in drafting such ordinances and provide legal advisors to local councils with the legal and economic analysis needed to tackle some of the more difficult and detailed questions.

Design/methodology/approach

The most important issue revolves around the creation of a model ordinance which Macedonian municipalities (or the Association of Units of Local Self‐Government of the Republic of Macedonia) could adopt in order to set‐up and run municipal‐level anti‐corruption agencies. The location of such agencies as well as their competencies (to monitor conflicts of interests, oversee asset declarations, and conduct corruption risk‐audits among others) are analysed. The paper also provides legal interpretations of Macedonian legislation and their likely impact on municipal council ordinance design in the area of anti‐corruption – providing the legal basis for positive administrative silence, the splitting of municipal procurement contracts, and (most controversially) qui tam rewards at the municipal level.

Findings

A brief regulatory impact analysis of the ordinance shows a gain of €162,900 in social welfare if such a programme were rolled‐out in Macedonia.

Originality/value

The present paper provides some of the legal analysis which previous papers lack.

Keywords

Citation

Michael, B. and Mendes, S. (2012), "Anti‐corruption law in local government: Legal issues related to ordinance‐design and municipal‐level anti‐corruption agencies in Macedonia", International Journal of Law and Management, Vol. 54 No. 1, pp. 26-60. https://doi.org/10.1108/17542431211189597

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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