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Zakat Management Organization is an organization that is authorized and obliged to implement the system and management of public funds. As a country with a Muslim population of 87%, the potential amount of zakat is very large, the latest measurement of zakat potential in Indonesia according to Puskas (2019) reached Rp 233.9 trillion. As the person in charge and management of public funds, of course, the management of the zakat management organization must have good performance in order to gain the trust of the muzaki. However, in its development, it turns out that there are still many people who lack trust in conducting zakat transactions in official government organizations. This study used quantitative data with secondary data from the Puskasbaznas index. The purpose of this study is to determine the performance of zakat managers. The results showed that there was a significant influence between zakat literacy and Sharia compliance on performance, while zakat transparency did not have a significant effect on performance. Meanwhile, simultaneously, zakat literacy, zakat transparency, and Sharia compliance have a significant effect on the performance of zakat managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years there has been a growing interest in improving ethics in the management of public resources. However, while there have been significant improvements in the search for efficiency and effectiveness in the use of public funds, there is not yet a complete and comprehensive development of mechanisms and instruments that enhance ethics in the decisions of public managers. In this article the Spanish case study and its exercise of ethical responsibility are carried out, through which results of interest to other countries with similar models of public management are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2018, an unprecedented red tide prompted Chile's Ministry of Health to close fisheries throughout the country's southern Aysén Region. The disaster heightened the precarity of "paper fishers," or those who seldom fish but deftly navigate Chile's neoliberal fisheries management system. Amid the crisis, these fishers performed valuable distributive labor. They connected benefits from transferable fishing quotas to community‐based networks, persuaded officials to recognize additional claimants, and redistributed cash in their communities. This enabled fishers to access public funds when fishing was impossible and strengthened community solidarity in the face of precarity. Yet it also required that claims for financial compensation be legible to state officials, and it prevented political actions that would have disrupted the state‐backed aquaculture industry, despite the latter's contribution to the red tide. Thus, neoliberal distributive programs that depend on the commodification of nature simultaneously benefit rural communities in crisis and facilitate the displacement of beneficiaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decree-Law no. 109-H/2021, 10 December, published the new Legal Framework applicable to the Investment Companies, which has entered in force on last February. This work will be divided in two parts, starting with a brief presentation of the main novelties of the REI to then explore the new regime of the revocation of the authorisation of an investment company, presenting its weaknesses, as well as the interactive solution that could mitigate them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is obvious to state that no tax system is strictly national anymore (Schön, 2018). Spain is a globalized economy, with 98 double taxation agreements in force, it is also one of the most decentralized rich countries in the world, and is part of the European Union. This triple dimension must permeate all diagnoses of the Spanish tax system, as well as any debate on its reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2020, the United States Supreme Court delivered a verdict constituting a significant win for advocates of school choice and public funding for private religious education. In Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, the Court found that the Montana Supreme Court's wholesale exclusion of religious schools from a neutral aid program based on a no-aid provision in the state constitution violated the free exercise rights of the religious schools that sought to participate in the program. At bottom, the Court found that if Montana desired to provide a neutral form of public assistance to private schools, it was required to disburse that aid to secular and religious schools alike in order to comport with the Free Exercise Clause. Although laying down a straightforward rule, Espinoza does not completely settle this contentious area and more problems will likely arise. Indeed, the majority of states have no-aid provisions quite similar to that of Montana's. The potential for conflict between those state constitutional prerogatives and the desire to create useful public aid programs to boost private schools could put some states in an awkward position, at least to the extent that they wish to retain some control over the use of public money for religious objectives. If a state enacts any such program, then Espinoza clearly commands that it must include private religious schools in the benefits, an act that is clearly in tension with most no-aid provisions. This is the correct result under the Free Exercise Clause, but this Comment argues that the states should be allowed to carve out a narrow space in which they can exercise some modest control over the actual use of public funds by religious schools to give their greater anti-establishment interests, as expressed in their respective constitutions, some force and operation. Drawing on the currently extant distinction between religious status and use, this Comment argues that the states should be able to place some reasonable restrictions on how religious schools actually use public funding. Specifically, as in Locke v. Davey, these restrictions would be limited to a narrow universe of essentially religious activities such as chapel services and Bible study programs. Religious schools, even those that integrate religious teachings into nearly every facet of the educational experience, would be able to fully participate in state aid programs, but would merely have to engage in some modest segregation of public funds from those specified ends. This presents a workable compromise that would preserve a modest degree of state autonomy to give some expression to longstanding state constitutional provisions. Although the Court seems inclined to read the status-use distinction narrowly, or to get rid of it altogether, this Comment thus concludes that the doctrine remains useful for this narrow purpose and could lead to a mutually beneficial result for all parties involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the public subsidy of major league sport franchises and associated urban development projects remains wildly popular in some constituencies, these expenditures have, increasingly, been met with organized resistance. This article examines the formation of Voices for Democracy (VFD)--a grassroots community group that opposed the use of public funds to build a CAD $606.5 million arena and entertainment district in Edmonton, Alberta. I begin by providing an analysis of VFD's division of labor and the collective development of the group's political claims and tactical repertoire to challenge a powerful growth coalition between 2011-2013. Next, I examine the unfavorable political opportunity structure that set decisive limits on what the group could challenge. The article concludes with a discussion of why VFD was unable to cultivate a more widespread coalition of support and, in turn, how the 'boosterish' coalition in Edmonton--a coalition that included the Edmonton Oilers, the downtown business community, the mayor and a majority of council, and senior civil servants--were able to contain opposition over the course of this divisive debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on politics corruption. Topics include misuse of public funds when public officials, legislators, political parties, or states spending money from the treasury being not approved by a consensus of the taxpayers; and political parties, corporations, NGOs, and other groups with money and political influence hijacking the treasury.

The sub-national public spending studies in Mexico have increased in the last years. Nevertheless, it is unknown if the party ideology has an effect on it. Therefore, this paper explores whether this variable influences on the public expenditure. Based on the case of Jalisco, this research compares PAN and PRI governments to show their decisions on public expenditure. The results show that the panista government gave more resources to public investment, education and rural development; meanwhile the priista government gave more to public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With decreasing appropriation from public funding and increasing operational costs, public nature-tourism managers are facing ongoing pressure to increase self-generated revenue, such as entrance fees to sustain current services. However, raising fees often arouses resistance from visitors, and thus managing negative reactions is critical to the success of a new fee initiative. Following a three-step process of rendering conceptual relationships from textual data, this study analyzed a large volume of public comments submitted regarding the National Park Service's entrance fee increase proposal and developed a conceptual framework to understand support/opposition of fee increases on public lands. The conceptual framework identified five constructs affecting support/opposition of fee increases: right-based opposition to public land fees, distributive justice principles, fee increase magnitude, place attachment, and trust in government. Theoretical and practical implications were also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article traces domestic legislative and administrative reactions to case law by the European Court of Justice in the area of EU Citizenship, free movement and cross-border welfare rights. Specifically, it contributes to existing Europeanisation research by highlighting the role of politicisation in the implementation process. The empirical case study analyses EU students' free movement and cross-border welfare rights in England, based on an original data collection of newspaper articles, semi-structured expert interviews and policy documents. The analysis thus innovatively combines both quantitative and qualitative analysis of politicisation, explicating an otherwise puzzling ten-years delayed policy change in the English study finance system. Ultimately, the case study is exemplary for the struggle in striking a delicate balance between open borders and sustainable public funds under EU non-discrimination provisions, which many other member states similarly face. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Say you're wealthy and want to influence American politics. How would you do it? Conventional campaign finance--giving or spending money to sway elections--is one option. Lobbying is another. This Article identifies and explores a third possibility: quasi campaign finance, or spending money on nonelectoral communications with voters that nevertheless rely on an electoral mechanism to be effective. Little is currently known about quasi campaign finance because no law requires its disclosure. But its use by America's richest and politically savviest individuals--the Koch brothers, Michael Bloomberg, and the like--appears to be rising. It also seems to skew policy outcomes in the spenders' preferred direction. After introducing quasi campaign finance, the Article considers its legal status. Is it like ordinary campaign finance, in which case it could be regulated fairly extensively? Or is it like garden-variety political speech, rendering it presumptively unregulable? One argument for pairing quasi and regular campaign finance is that they share several features--who bankrolls them, the tactics they pay for, the reasons they work--and so may serve as substitutes. Another rationale for conflation is that they may both cause the same democratic injuries: corruption, the distortion of public opinion, and the misalignment of public policy. Pitted against these points is the slippery-slope objection: If quasi campaign finance may constitutionally be curbed, what political speech may not be?. Lastly, the Article suggests how quasi campaign finance should (assuming it actually may) be regulated. Limits on contributions and expenditures are unwise and probably unadministrable. Disclosure, though, is a necessity. The public should know who is trying to persuade it (and how). Even more promising is the public subsidization of quasi campaign finance. If every voter received a voucher for this purpose, then public funds might crowd out private capital, thus alleviating its harmful effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the number of think tanks in Denmark has increased considerably in recent decades, our knowledge about their visibility in political arenas is limited. The article explores how and why the mentions of private and public think tanks in the parliamentary and media arenas has developed from 2005 to 2018. Building on insights from previous studies of think tanks, publicly funded think tanks are expected to achieve more parliamentary mentions than private think tanks because they are expected to be more heavily influenced by institutionalized norms to target inside actors through parliament. By contrast, privately funded think tanks are expected to achieve more media mentions than public think tanks, because they are policymaking outsiders and emphasize public advocacy over direct influence. Although publicly funded think tanks have been more visible in the parliamentary arena than private think tanks, their visibility has declined. Private think tanks are more visible than public think tanks, but media visibility for privately funded think tanks also drops towards the end of the period. The article concludes that public or private funding cannot fully explain changes in think tank visibility in the two arenas over time. Instead media and parliamentary mentions are driven by a handful of think tanks while most think tanks struggle to achieve and maintain parliamentary and media visibility over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines Australian domestic film performance under two distinct policy regimes with respect to direct investment strategy. In particular, we contrast film performance under two public funding agencies with noted differences in (i) the number of films financed annually, (ii) the average (and maximum) funding per film, and (iii) the involvement of an expert review panel in funding decisions. In addition to box office returns, we consider performance benchmarks related to major film festival screenings, nominations and awards; critical acclaim based on IMDb user and critic reviews; and whether or not the film received a release in the major UK and/or US markets. Finally, we exploit a subset of our data where a 'two-door' policy was used for investment decisions that allows us to reflect on our more general results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vagaries of market forces are presenting a financially challenging environment for the higher education sector in England. Intense competition is leaving those overly dependent on tuition fee income in an exposed position. Despite a strong narrative for the need to diversify funding in the available higher education literature, empirical studies examining the degree to which universities are financially diversified are sparse and lack contemporary relevance. This study is the first to produce a National Income Diversification Index for publicly-funded, generalist universities in England. In doing so, it develops a model for a more accurate financial assessment by disaggregating third-stream revenues from core income. The findings suggest established pre-1992 universities are more financially diversified and thus in keeping with modern portfolio theory, are less vulnerable to changes in their external environment. This paper calls for policymakers to include the level of income diversification in any measure of institutional financial health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colleges and universities rely on public funding for the core of their activities, a structure that has been in place for over 150 years. As institutions have lobbied for an increased allocation of public funds, their core activities have changed and evolved to take on more economic and research and development activities, leading to ever growing budgets and subsequent budget requests. An additional activity for the contemporary university is the search for diversity in revenue, resulting in the undertaking of activities that stretch the boundaries of defining educationally related activities. Therefore, the purpose for conducting the current study was to identify the extent to which revenue diversification adds to the teaching and research function of higher education institutions. Through the analysis of five different public universities, findings suggest that higher education institutions typically lack the transparency necessary for consumers to make informed decisions, and that much of the language and presentation of information can be misleading to both the general public as well as fiduciary agents who make financial allocations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Government corporations have been an integral part of the Australian system of public administration since colonial times. Yet they have been mired in controversy over the years, including the large-scale banking collapses in Victoria and South Australia. Government corporations pose a tension between the independence of an arms-length body, in terms of managerial and operational freedom from government control, and accountability to the government that owns or controls the corporation. This article examines the control and accountability of statutory corporations and governmentowned and -controlled companies in Australia, both in terms of internal controls via the structuring of these corporations and the operation of directors’ duties, and external controls through legal, parliamentary, and financial accountability. It argues that the device of the statutory corporation should be preferred, as it possesses the virtues of an arms-length body within a more comprehensive governance and accountability framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This comparative study modifies Cabrera and La Nasa's model to examine social and class stratification in students' college-choice outcomes in the USA and Taiwan, and compares the mechanisms that perpetuate this stratification between the two systems. Students' college-choice outcomes are defined by both institutional selectivity and control, in order to test not only stratification in the quality of institution students attend but also their financial burden of college costs. The findings show that students from lower-socioeconomic backgrounds are less likely to attend high-selective institutions and institutions that embrace better resources and provide more subsidies to students. Current financing structures embedded in both systems increase stratification, but through different ways. In addition to enhancing academic preparation for socioeconomically disadvantaged students, fundamentally rethinking the financing structures – especially the distribution of public funds – is imperative to increase equality for both countries in the cost-sharing era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to identify the factors affecting user perception of transfers in order to reduce the penalty associated with transfers. Policy makers can thus concentrate on the most relevant factors to achieve a more effective investment of public funds. We carried out an extensive review of the literature and identified a total of 45 factors. A qualitative study was then conducted in two Spanish cities, Vitoria and Madrid, consisting of various focus groups stratified by age. The results indicate that a combination of factors influence the perception of transfers. Time spent during transfers, both walking and waiting, is the main penalty associated with transfers. However, the provision of real-time passenger information helps reduce the perceived waiting time. Differences were found between cities and age groups. Two new factors were identified, mainly in Madrid: mental effort and activity disruption. We, therefore, advise policy makers to concentrate their efforts on providing real-time information to passengers, improving the frequency and reliability of services, and designing transfer areas to ensure continuity between transport modes and between information and communication systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrastructure is a key area of public investment and development cooperation, and can be seen as a critical enabler of trade and integration. Stakeholders increasingly demand evidence on the effectiveness of investments in infrastructure such as railways, in part because these investments typically lock in development patterns for decades. In this article we take stock of the main findings, methodological approaches, gaps and caveats of the current literature with a focus on railways. Based on this analysis, we present a methodology for an impact evaluation framework which builds on existing knowledge and addresses some of these shortcomings. Beyond the dearth of empirical evidence on the socio-economic and environmental impacts of infrastructure, we discuss critiques of the currently prevalent methodological toolbox. Using a real-world railway project in India, the Konkan Railway, we exemplify how a rigorous quantitative impact assessment can integrate inter-disciplinary and mixed-methods features to address these issues. Specifically, we apply different quasi-experimental techniques on the level of intermediate and ultimate outcome and impact indicators, using census, survey and satellite data and information from document analyses, interviews and focus group discussions. We draw on insights from economics, sociology, engineering and geography in making sense of large infrastructure projects and their impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stockholm University Library (SUB) has been tracking the University's open access (OA) publishing costs within the local accounting system since 2016. The objective is to gain an overview of the costs and to use this as a basis for decisions about how to proceed in order to support the transition to OA at Stockholm University. This article explains the reasons behind using the accounting system as the primary source of information and describes the workflow of tracking costs and how additional data are retrieved. Basic findings from the 2017 cost compilation are outlined, and the steps taken in 2018, with consequences for both the current workflow and the costs at SUB, are briefly discussed. A breakout session on this topic was presented at the UKSG Annual Conference in Glasgow in 2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth sport policies are increasingly driven by health concerns and social issues, and focus on broad participation outcomes. Given the significant financial investment in, and critique of, such policies internationally, this study aimed to examine the implementation of Sporting Schools (SS), a $100 million programme intended to increase children's sport participation in Australia. In addressing the limited research in this area in the Australian context, we draw on the notion of policy as process [Penney & Evans, 2005 Policy, power and politics in physical education. In K. Green, & K. Hardman (Eds.), Physical education: Essential issues (pp. 21-38). London: SAGE] and Fullan's [Fullan (2015) The new meaning of educational change (5th ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press] work on educational change. This analysis employed a qualitative methodology. Data collection included interviews with 32 sporting organisation (SO) representatives, coaches, and teachers involved in the implementation of SS. Data were analysed using a combination of inductive and deductive approaches, and the trustworthiness of the findings was supported using several strategies. Findings indicated divergent understandings of the need for the SS programme by stakeholders, as well as a lack of clarity of the policy aims and the means for realising them. There was little indication that SOs, coaches and teachers were engaged in a meaningful, working relationship to accomplish the reform objectives of SS; however, each saw benefit in the programme. Youth sport policy implementation in schools is a complex process. The dynamic interplay among the various factors influencing such policies makes realising their stated intentions nigh on impossible. While working to enhance the enactment of SS as intended is important, we propose that youth sport policies written for enactment in schools need to be viewed as 'soft policies'. The simplicity and limited accountability associated with 'soft policies' can be viewed as an opportunity to recognise the expertise of those who work, learn and move in schools, and trust them to use resources effectively and reconcile tensions based on their unique knowledge of their local school contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Integrate real option theory and principal-agent model with incomplete information. • Consider both demand uncertainty and information asymmetry. • Characterize optimal contracts for infrastructure provision under various regimes. • Compare regulation and deregulation regimes in terms of social welfare. Abstract This study contributes to the body of knowledge by characterizing the optimal contracts for infrastructure provision that involve the choices of investment timing, price, quality, subsidy/tax, and franchise fee in regulation and deregulation regimes; and comparing the two regimes in terms of social welfare under demand uncertainty and information asymmetry. The results suggest that regulation under information symmetry dominates regulation under information asymmetry and deregulation. Whether deregulation dominates regulation under information asymmetry depends on the interplay of shadow cost of public funds, the demand volatility, the government's imperfect information on the firm's cost structure, and the franchise fee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks at the strategies adopted by the Chinese government to combat corporate corruption. Topics covered include the two elements involved in the Chinese anti-corporate corruption approach that include sovereign investing, the important role played by sovereign wealth funds as instruments of corruption management, and the use of government policies to manage company efforts at corruption self-regulation.

Due to significant government cuts to Higher Education funding in Southern European systems, their already underfunded universities were forced to increasingly compete for students as sources of additional revenue. Concurrently, families and students that continued to afford participation in Higher Education became more selective when choosing a university, realising the riskier investment that Higher Education participation had become. Through a competing destinations model and relying on all Italian private and public universities, this study finds that the competition forces characterising universities' attractiveness over the last decade have changed since the financial crisis of 2008. In a context of lower demand for Higher Education, the competition for students grew and universities in close proximity were better prepared to face the new challenges, leading to the growth of Higher Education clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Rural Development Program is a program coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in consultation with representatives of bodies, organizations and social partners active in this field and approved following consultations with the European Commission, which provides European non-reimbursable funds for investments private and public projects that ensure the development of rural areas in Romania. Sub-measure 4.2. - "Support for investment in the processing / marketing and / or development of agricultural products", falls within measure 4 - Investments in physical assets. It is necessary to concentrate support for investments in modern production spaces and technologies, the development of new products, the application of innovative practices and technologies in the meat industry The main purpose of this paper is an analysis of the investments with European funds regarding the development of meat processing in the Region of the Development Center of Romania in the period 2015-2017. In this paper, we propose to follow the influence of support under submeasure 4.2 on the dynamics of investments in meat processing, at the level of the Centre Region, which have an eligible value of 14,837,922 euros, and the public value is 6,482,196 euros, in relation to nationally funded projects with an eligible value of 70,435,100 euros and a public value of 32,501,225 euros and a number of 30 projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • An essential contribution from Jules Dupuit on the optimal toll is based on the concept of surplus loss. • Although the function is maximal when the price is zero, Dupuit explained that a toll could be justified. • An optimal toll can be calculated as a function of the scarcity coefficient of public funds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 60-plus year history of returns to investment in education estimates, there have been several compilations in the literature. This paper updates Psacharopoulos and Patrinos and reviews the latest trends and patterns based on 1120 estimates in 139 countries from 1950 to 2014. The private average global return to a year of schooling is 9% a year. Private returns to higher education increased, raising issues of financing and equity. Social returns to schooling remain high. Women continue to experience higher average returns to schooling, showing that girls’ education remains a priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines laws governing the publicly financed stadiums in the U.S., evaluates claims that stadiums are worthy public investments, and explains how teams' bargaining advantage over municipalities resulted in oversupply of public funds for stadium. Topics discussed include federal and state law implicated by using municipal bonds to subsidize stadiums; and purpose of state constitutional protections intended to prevent municipalities from lending public funds for projects.

Abstract: Despite large investments of public funds into environmental flows programs, we have little ability to make quantitative predictions of the ecological benefits of restored flow regimes. Rather, ecological predictions in environmental flow assessments typically have been qualitative and based largely upon expert opinion. Widely applicable, quantitative models would help to justify existing flow programs and to inform future planning. Here, we used a hierarchical Bayesian analysis of monitoring data coupled with expert‐derived prior distributions, to develop such a model. We quantified the relationship between the duration and frequency of inundation, and encroachment of terrestrial vegetation into regulated river channels. The analysis was informed by data from 27 sites on seven rivers. We found that longer inundation durations reduce terrestrial vegetation encroachment. For example, a 50‐day continuous inundation during winter reduced predicted vegetation cover to a median of 11% (95% CI: 7%–35%) of cover predicted under non‐inundated conditions. This effect varied among sites and rivers, and was moderated by the frequency of inundation events. The hierarchical structure improved precision of model predictions relative to simpler analysis structures. Informative prior distributions also improved precision relative to minimally informative priors. The hierarchical Bayesian analysis allows us to make quantitative predictions of ecological response under the full range of flow conditions, allowing us to assess the benefits of planned or delivered environmental flows. It can be used to make estimates of ecological effects at sites that have not been sampled, and also to scale up site‐level results to catchment and regional scales. Quantitative predictions of ecological effects provide a more objective risk‐based approach, allowing improved planning of environmental flows and building public confidence in these major investments of public funds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the preference for purely private funding and ownership of telecommunications networks has given way to a ‘new wisdom’ that some form of public funding is now likely necessary if faster and more capacious next generation access (NGA) networks are to be constructed in a timely fashion for the majority of the population. Policy-makers are charged with deciding how that public investment will take place. One approach is via Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), where public and private actors collaborate in UFB (Ultrafast Fibre Broadband) investment, construction and operation. However, the body of analysis of PPPs in NGA networks to guide policy-makers is scant. By using the concept of regulatory commitment, the paper compares the experiences gained in a hold-up situation in PPPs in other infrastructures (e.g. roading) with the UFB context. A case study of New Zealand's Ultrafast Fibre Broadband Initiative is used to draw new insights for government purchasers and regulatory agencies. In comparing the different forms of PPPs, the paper shows that UFB PPPs reverse the typical direction of financing and ownership observed in roading PPPs. Financing and asset ownership are separated in UFB PPPs, increasing the potential for misalignment of incentives and the likelihood that the public party can use its legislative powers to alter regulatory settings after the PPP contract is signed, and thereby hold up the private party once existing network assets are sunk. Whilst the government instigating the PPP may not be inclined to act opportunistically, a successive government facing different political priorities does not face the same incentives. To the extent that the private party can anticipate this risk, it should structure the initial agreement to ensure that the public party is penalised if such an event occurs (i.e. an automatic right to favourable renegotiation or payment of compensation). Such terms will discourage opportunism, so that the project benefits from time-consistent alignment of incentives and objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transport infrastructure provision from roads to waterways involves large amounts of public funds in very complex projects. It is hardly a surprise that all across Europe, but especially in high corruption risk countries, it is a primary target of corrupt elites. This article provides a state-of-the-art review of the literature on the cost of corruption and estimates the level of corruption risks and associated costs in European infrastructure development and maintenance in 2009–2014 using novel data on over 40,000 government contracts. Two forms of corruption costs are investigated in the empirical section: (1) distorting spending structure and project design, and (2) inflating prices. Findings indicate that corruption steers infrastructure spending towards high value as opposed to small value investment projects. It also inflates prices by 30–35% on average with largest excesses in high corruption risk regions. Contrary to perceptions, corruption risks in infrastructure are decoupled to a considerable extent from the national corruption environment. Source data and risk scores are made downloadable at digiwhist.eu/resources/data . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Security challenges have continued to trouble governments internationally. From the Islamic State terrorists in the Gulf region, to the murderous activities of Boko Haram and “herdsmen” in Nigeria in recent times, it has become imperative for those entrusted with maintaining security to redefine the conditions of national security. In this context, it is now conventional for various governments in Nigeria to appropriate enormous amounts of money in their budgets for “national security” (“tagged security vote”). This article explores the emergence, configuration, constitutionality and abuses of security votes in Nigeria. It also explores the appropriation and expenditure of security funds in the USA and attempts to draw lessons from this jurisdiction. It argues that there is a robust connection between security votes and corruption and, thus, attempts to identify legal structures for preventing the misspending and embezzlement of public funds (security votes) in the country's monetary appropriation and expenditure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Civil society organizations (CSOs) are often perceived to provide the magic bullet to complex societal problems including alternative approaches that ensure good governance. Fresh new research is therefore needed due to the prevailing paradox of escalating governance challenges in Kenya despite CSOs efforts to address the same. This paper specifically seeks to understand mechanisms that CSOs use as they seek to intervene in governance issues in Kenya. It links persistent poor governance happening at the counties to inadequate mechanisms used by CSOs. It argues that CSOs have not been bold enough to confront poor governance but, instead, have used superficial mechanisms with little outcomes. They have particularly focused on providing trainings and creating awareness and have shied away from more direct engagement with poor governance such as monitoring utilization of public funds. The study methodology involved a survey, focus group discussions, and in‐depth face to face interviews. The tools used included a survey questionnaire, Focus Group Discussion guide and In‐depth Interview guide. Among the recommendations are that CSOs need to go beyond creating awareness and trainings and engage with governance issues more directly using well‐tried mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the evolution of organic production in Andalusia (Southern Spain) over the course of the past decade. The analysis shows the important growth sustained by this sector supported above all by public funding. However, it is developing within an institutional framework that is favorable to conventional agriculture, generating certain imbalances that are pushing organic production towardconventionalization, and generating a strong dependence on public funding and the behavior of international markets. An institutional change is required, promoting a model of organic production that is far removed from theinput substitutionmodel, in order to ensure that organic production is more sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data fraud and selective reporting both present serious threats to the credibility of science. However, there remains considerable disagreement among scientists about how best to sanction data fraud, and about the ethicality of selective reporting. The public is arguably the largest stakeholder in the reproducibility of science; research is primarily paid for with public funds, and flawed science threatens the public’s welfare. Members of the public are able to make meaningful judgments about the morality of different behaviors using moral intuitions. Legal scholars emphasize that to maintain legitimacy, social control policies must be developed with some consideration given to the public’s moral intuitions. Although there is a large literature on popular attitudes toward science, there is no existing evidence about public opinion on data fraud or selective reporting. We conducted two studies—a survey experiment with a nationwide convenience sample (N = 821), and a follow-up survey with a representative sample of US adults (N = 964)—to explore community members’ judgments about the morality of data fraud and selective reporting in science. The findings show that community members make a moral distinction between data fraud and selective reporting, but overwhelmingly judge both behaviors to be immoral and deserving of punishment. Community members believe that scientists who commit data fraud or selective reporting should be fired and banned from receiving funding. For data fraud, most Americans support criminal penalties. Results from an ordered logistic regression analysis reveal few demographic and no significant partisan differences in punitiveness toward data fraud. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the social and legal background of public constructions of antique Rome in the era of the Roman Republic. Being a financial lawyer, I was intrigued to find out more about the ancient rules of using up public funds and what corruptive and cultural influences shaped these procedures. I was also interested in finding similarities between past and present public procurement practices. In my work, bedsides the original sources, I used the monographs and summative studies of contemporary authors as well as my own expertise acquired as a public procurement consultant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public funding is crucial for the small Norwegian film industry. Based on an analysis of policy documents and interviews with regional film workers, this article discusses the implementation of regional film policy in Norway, and the tensions it has caused between center and periphery with respect to the allocation of funding. The creative industries discourse and the cluster concept are important for understanding this implementation; despite the new regional film policies the capital Oslo remains the undisputed hub of film production, and low production volume is still a challenge for the regions. Size, the article explains, is not only central when discussing Oslo as compared to the regions, but has also become a contentious issuewithinthe regions. A key concern for the government, the article suggests, is how to create strong film milieus all over the country, which may entail the risk of spreading funding too thinly across the regions, resulting in a fragmented industry. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this experiment, voters select a leader who can either act in the public interest, i.e. make efficient and equitable policy choices, or act in a corrupt way, i.e. use public funds for private gain. Voters can observe candidates’ pro-social behavior and their score in a cognitive ability test prior to the election, and this fact is known to candidates. Therefore, self-interested candidates have incentives to act in a pro-social manner, i.e. to pretend to be public-spirited leaders. We find that both truly pro-social and egoistic leaders co-exist, but that political selection is ineffective in choosing public-spirited leaders. The main reason is that egoistic candidates strategically pretend to be pro-social to increase their chances of winning the election. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]