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Article
Publication date: 1 December 2004

Soma Pillay

The effect of corruption in South Africa has seriously constrained development of the national economy and has significantly inhibited good governance in the country. South…

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Abstract

The effect of corruption in South Africa has seriously constrained development of the national economy and has significantly inhibited good governance in the country. South Africa's complex political design is a contributing factor to the rise of corruption, which has adversely affected stability and trust and which has damaged the ethos of democratic values and principles. Although the South African government has been instrumental in systems to fight the evils of corruption, practical problems have increasingly emerged over the years. The most notable problems are: insufficient coordination of anti‐corruption work within the South African public service and among the various sectors of society; poor information about corruption and the impact of anti‐corruption measures and agencies; and the impact of corruption on good governance. This paper is a part of a broader study undertaken on corruption. It addresses issues related to corruption and good governance in the South African (National) Public Service. To articulate and analyse the challenges confronting the country, issues regarding coordination of anti‐corruption agencies will be explored.

Details

International Journal of Public Sector Management, vol. 17 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-3558

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 January 2022

Anna Serebrennikova, Tatiana Minyazeva, Denis Dobryakov, Valentina Shiyаn and Olga Afanasieva

In today’s world, the prevention and detection of corruption offences are becoming increasingly important. The most important tasks are to create an intolerant public attitude…

Abstract

Purpose

In today’s world, the prevention and detection of corruption offences are becoming increasingly important. The most important tasks are to create an intolerant public attitude towards this phenomenon, to monitor it in dynamics and to develop new ways of combating it, responding to the development and improvement of criminal techniques. The purpose of this paper is to study the practice of introducing e-customs, the possible prospects related to the creation of an intellectual customs office.

Design/methodology/approach

An analytical method was used, including the study of scientific literature and publications, current legislation, statistics, customs plans and practices and foreign experience.

Findings

It is indicated that the variability of the nature and methods of committing crimes in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution makes it appropriate to formulate corruption as a formal offence.

Practical implications

This study may be of use to students and academics, as well as practitioners in customs, law enforcement agencies and legislative bodies.

Originality/value

Suggestions have been made to improve approaches to planning work towards digitalisation in the customs sector, in terms of analysing and considering the potential for corruption-proneness and anti-corruption potential of innovations, exploring the use of blockchain for conducting procedures, maintaining registers and other record-keeping systems.

Details

Journal of Financial Crime, vol. 30 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-0790

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 December 2021

Nataliia A. Lytvyn, Olena V. Artemenko, Svitlana S. Kovalova, Maryna P. Kobets and Elena V. Kashtan (Grygorieva)

The purpose of this paper is to study the administrative and legal mechanisms of combating corruption, namely, to determine the means by which it is possible to develop a positive…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the administrative and legal mechanisms of combating corruption, namely, to determine the means by which it is possible to develop a positive experience in the fight against corruption.

Design/methodology/approach

Among the methods used to study the problems of the stated subject, the dialectical, comparative-legal, systems, historical and legal, formal and legal, analysis and synthesis can be distinguished.

Findings

The authors investigated the experience of foreign countries in combating corruption and suggested implementing international experience in national legislation for the successful fight against corruption. In the course of the study, the current state of legal regulations governing anti-corruption activities was characterised, corruption and the main reasons for committing corruption acts were investigated, the problems that arise in the fight against corruption were identified, the main administrative and legal mechanisms for combating corruption were established and the effectiveness of applying these mechanisms in practice was studied.

Practical implications

The provisions that are enshrined in this paper are of practical value for individuals whose activities are aimed at fighting corruption, as Ukraine is one of the states where corruption flourishes and where the fight against corruption has not been directly implemented in practice for many years.

Originality/value

Based on the example of international experience in the fight against corruption, proposals and recommendations for improving administrative and legal mechanisms for combating corruption have been developed.

Article
Publication date: 3 February 2012

Bryane Michael and Stephen Mendes

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…

1142

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.

Details

International Journal of Law and Management, vol. 54 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-243X

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 8 November 2004

Denita Cepiku

The primary aim of this chapter is to offer an overview of corruption and state capture in Albanian public administration and to describe the solutions adopted to fight corruption…

Abstract

The primary aim of this chapter is to offer an overview of corruption and state capture in Albanian public administration and to describe the solutions adopted to fight corruption by the government since 1998. Conflict of interest is a new aspect of concern in the policy agendas. OECD countries have recently adopted some guidelines for managing the phenomenon, which will be then transferred to eastern European countries. Given this novelty, this chapter does not deal directly with conflict of interest situations. Corruption is rarely treated as a management problem, in part because for obvious reasons as data are scarce and also because the literature is thin and tentative, with few theoretical frameworks. Also rare is analysis of how corruption has been or might be reduced. The state of research on corruption is such that there is little inductive theory or statistical evidence about the kinds of policies that work under particular conditions.

Details

Strategies for Public Management Reform
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84950-218-4

Article
Publication date: 9 May 2008

Steve Berkman, Nancy Z. Boswell, Franz H. Brüner, Mark Gough, John T. McCormick, Peter Egens Pedersen, Jose Ugaz and Stephen Zimmermann

The purpose of this paper is to offer anti‐corruption experts' personal assessments of the progress international organizations have made in fighting corruption.

2673

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to offer anti‐corruption experts' personal assessments of the progress international organizations have made in fighting corruption.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper contains a survey of the viewpoints of a number of anti‐corruption experts who themselves are current or former staff of international organizations, or who – from their positions within the private sector or in non‐governmental organizations – are able to offer a unique and distanced perspective on the key corruption‐related issues and challenges facing international organizations today.

Findings

It is agreed that international organizations today are at a cross‐roads in their individual and collective fight against corruption. International organizations must weather the corruption scandals that have recently plagued several organizations, and must confront the question of whether their staffs, boards, and member governments indeed have the ability, will, and commitment to fight corruption. To address these challenges, international organizations must adopt proactive investigative strategies when combating corruption, seek greater cooperation with each other, and must ensure that their respective investigation units have the necessary resources and independence to effectively detect, investigate, and prevent corruption.

Originality/value

The paper offers a realistic prognosis on the future of the anti‐corruption movement within and among international organizations.

Details

Journal of Financial Crime, vol. 15 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-0790

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 January 2015

Ernie Ko, Yu-Chang Su and Chilik Yu

The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the multiple anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) in Taiwan and their conflict resolution. The birth of the Agency Against…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the multiple anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) in Taiwan and their conflict resolution. The birth of the Agency Against Corruption (AAC) in 2011 created the unintended consequence of sibling rivalry with the elder Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB).

Design/methodology/approach

A historical background of these agencies is discussed and followed by an analysis of the diversified conflicts among the prosecutor’s office, the AAC and the MJIB. The empirical sources of this study include 17 in-depth interviews with government officials both at ministerial level and field level, scholars and NGO representatives.

Findings

The redundancy of ACAs in Taiwan is a fact, which is extremely difficult to change in the foreseeable future in the light of current political and fiscal constraints. This paper concludes that the conflicts among multiple ACAs and their operational weaknesses will not fade away after a mere directive from their superior, the Ministry of Justice, unless genuine cooperation is put into place in various individual cases.

Practical implications

This paper provides a road-map for decision makers to improve collective anti-corruption performance. Taiwan’s AAC serves as the latest example testing the efficacy of the multiple specialized ACAs.

Originality/value

This pioneering study provides insights into Taiwan’s anti-corruption policy and practices. More investigative studies should be conducted on the effectiveness of multiple ACAs in other countries.

Details

Asian Education and Development Studies, vol. 4 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-3162

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 June 2021

Dmytro S. Melnyk, Oleg A. Parfylo, Oleksii V. Butenko, Olena V. Tykhonova and Volodymyr O. Zarosylo

The experience of most European Union (EU) Member States has demonstrated effective anti-corruption practices, making the EU one of the leaders in this field, which can be used as…

Abstract

Purpose

The experience of most European Union (EU) Member States has demonstrated effective anti-corruption practices, making the EU one of the leaders in this field, which can be used as an example to learn from in the field of anti-corruption. The purpose of this study is to analyze and identify the main features of anti-corruption legislation and strategies to prevent corruption at the national and supranational levels of the EU.

Design/methodology/approach

The following methods were used in the work: discourse and content analysis, method of system analysis, method of induction and deduction, historical-legal method, formal-legal method, comparative-legal method and others. Using the historical and legal method, the evolution of the formation of anti-corruption regulation at the supranational level was revealed. The comparative law method helped to compare the practices of the Member States of the EU in the field of anti-corruption regulation. The formal-legal method is used for generalization, classification and systematization of research results, as well as for the correct presentation of these results.

Findings

The main results, prospects for further research and the value of the material. The paper offers a critical review of key EU legal instruments on corruption, from the first initiatives taken in the mid-1990s to recent years.

Originality/value

In addition, the article analyzes the relevant anti-corruption legislation in the EU member states that are in the top 10 countries with the lowest level of corruption, namely: Denmark, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg.

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 5 October 2022

Jacqui-Lyn McIntyre, Duane Aslett and Nico Buitendag

President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his 2018 State of the Nation Address, stated that “Thieves who are stealing public funds should be arrested and prosecuted”, and called for lifestyle…

1506

Abstract

Purpose

President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his 2018 State of the Nation Address, stated that “Thieves who are stealing public funds should be arrested and prosecuted”, and called for lifestyle audits of public-sector employees. The gross misuse of COVID-19 relief funds by public officials indicated the urgent need to execute these audits as an anti-corruption measure. This paper aims to provide a review of the existing state of affairs with regard to the application of lifestyle audits in South Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper critically analyses the literature available on the current position of South Africa concerning lifestyle audits in the public sector, based on the mandates of some of the anti-corruption agencies that could be responsible for the conducting and processing of such audits.

Findings

South Africa has only recently seen a framework for applying lifestyle audits, developed by the Department of Public Service and Administration. Although these first steps in developing a standard practice are laudable, the practical process of dealing with misconduct and/or criminal matters remains to be seen. It is recommended that South Africa consider a legislative approach to dealing with unlawfully obtained wealth by either criminalising the act of illicit enrichment (per the United Nations Convention Against Corruption) or creating an Unexplained Wealth Order, as seen, for example, in the UK.

Originality/value

South Africa is in dire need of addressing corruption in the public sector. Despite lifestyle audits being called for, the lack of proper implementation is negating any positive outcomes. Therefore, alternative solutions should be investigated.

Details

Journal of Financial Crime, vol. 30 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-0790

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 April 2016

Sophal Ear

The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical analysis and survey of Cambodia’s recent efforts to combat corruption. It explores the policy context, perceived extent of…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical analysis and survey of Cambodia’s recent efforts to combat corruption. It explores the policy context, perceived extent of corruption, causes of corruption, anti-corruption measures, evaluates those anti-corruption measures, and provides policy recommendations.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reviews the literature on corruption and anti-corruption efforts in Cambodia. It relies on available data from the World Bank and Transparency International, and compares these data over time.

Findings

The paper shows that corruption in Cambodia is pervasive and that anti-corruption efforts are limited because of a lack of political will. Existing anti-corruption measures designed with loopholes must be amended, but implementation remains the primary challenge.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the limited literature on combating corruption in Cambodia.

Details

Asian Education and Development Studies, vol. 5 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-3162

Keywords

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