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Globalization and foreign direct investment (FDI) have made host country corruption a critical consideration for firms expanding internationally. This study investigates how perceived host country corruption influences the market entry mode choices of 207 Indonesian firms across 25 host countries between 2012-2022. Utilizing logistic regression analysis and grounded in transaction cost theory, we examine the likelihood of firms selecting joint ventures (JV) over wholly owned subsidiaries (WOS) in response to corruption risk. Results indicate that higher levels of perceived corruption in the host country significantly increase the probability of firms opting for JVs as a risk mitigation strategy. While strong country governance is often assumed to deter corruption, our findings suggest that it may not significantly reduce the perceived risk for firms entering foreign markets. This has important implications for policymakers seeking to attract foreign investment and for businesses developing strategies to navigate corrupt environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper targets the nexus between corruption and money laundering. Scholars and practitioners recently observed how offshore financial centers and financial infrastructures have become central in facilitating corruption and other criminal activities. Offshore vehicles often serve to conceal the connections between business people and politically exposed persons. Secrecy jurisdictions and service providers have emerged as key actors in these illicit schemes. The paper explores the following questions: How do money laundering activities and offshore financial infrastructures sustain corruption? Who are the key actors involved, how do they interact, and their division of labor? How do actors and clusters govern the social-financial web of relations? It applies a combination of social network analysis (SNA) and network ethnography to the corrupt connection between the former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo and the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht Group. The research analyzes publicly available data from the Lava Jato and Ecoteva investigations in Brazil and Peru. It deconstructs the illicit scheme's mechanisms step-by-step, uncovers the functions of different actors and clusters, and illuminates the social norms and informal governance practices that regulate the exchange. The research highlights how the financial infrastructures of the private and public spheres are integrated and analyzes the informal governance system designed to control the transnational corruption network. The study makes it possible to understand how the nexus between corruption and money laundering works. It also supports the emerging understanding of corruption as a collective, transnational and financially advanced phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corruption perception indices are conventionally used as a proxy for mirroring the real corruption level in a country. This article studies the potential impact of the perception of institutional factors on corruption perception. Using a three-year survey dataset from all regions of Armenia, I argue that economic perception and trust in institutions directly and indirectly influence corruption perception by undermining individuals' satisfaction with the country's overall situation. Further mediation analysis manifests that satisfaction with the country's overall situation is the cornerstone linking corruption perception with economic perception and trust in institutions. Policy implications and further research avenues are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article carries out qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews and focus groups with over 40 participants, to gain insight into the real-life mechanisms underpinning corrupt transactions. The findings show a strong indication that corrupt transactions in this case study of Slovak healthcare are tethered to the practice of brokerage, with the broker becoming a central figure with greater power than previously suggested in corruption brokerage literature. The article suggests a clear cognitive dissonance between the perception of the broker's services as a friendly favor, as opposed to the illegality of the practice, grounded in cultural idiosyncrasies of the CEE region.1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between police corruption and violence is well established in Latin America. Those with less power in poor communities often adapt their actions to serve their group interests in response to constraints placed on them by law enforcement. Using ethnographic and qualitative methods, we probe the effect of corrupt police behavior on the stigma of arrest and imprisonment by members of impoverished neighborhoods in Mexico City. Using an interpretive approach, we find that widespread corruption and police violence has indirectly mitigated the negative effects of the stigma or arrest and incarceration by what we term the repudiation of stigma. For the subjects in our study, the adjustment to pervasive corruption has led amelioration of the social stigma associated with arrest and incarceration among those with whom they share similar biographies of experience. More generally, repudiation of stigma highlights the ability of the marginalized to deflect the social consequences of being arrested and having a criminal record. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the levels of satisfaction from medical staff and patients by analyzing 691 Supreme Court precedents on medical practice from legal disputes in Korea, which are developing into a dual medical system. In addition, the issues that can be prevented in the medical field through the flow and judgment of legal disputes in medical practice after the revision of the medical law are discussed. The concept of medical practice not specified in the Medical Law was examined and compared with the medical-legal systems of Germany, Japan, and the USA through international comparative analysis to assess the illegal factors occurring in the medical field by analyzing the legal approach, medical practice, and medical personnel qualifications of each country. An analysis of the Supreme Courts case law revealed the timing analysis of issues in legal disputes related to medical practice, the incidence rate among the subjects of the cases, and medical personnel to be significant. The meaning was studied by finding the law that applied to it. Important cases were identified, and their meaning was reviewed. The legal issues of medical practice in orthopedics were divided into five sections based on precedents, such as problems in consent to information at the start of treatment, problems in prior radiography before treatment, explanation of the consent process for surgical treatment, problems related to the qualification of operators in the operating room, and the responsibility for postoperative results. In the wake of the recent major crisis in the governments medical reform policy (Essential medical package), procedural problems and legal reviews of illegal medical practices and their qualifications in the medical field were conducted because of the lack of medical personnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the reasons for human rights abuses in policing practices in Bangladesh. Following human rights practices in policing is challenging as Bangladesh's law enforcement agencies are involved in various forms of human rights violations. This study used mixed-methods research approach to enlighten the understanding of human rights violations in Bangladesh. In-depth interviews of 40 participants and survey responses obtained from 350 valid samples were considered for analysis. Thematic content analysis, factor analysis, correlation analysis, and regression analysis were used to identify the key factors influencing human rights violations in policing. The empirical findings indicated that human rights violations in policing are influenced by three key factors: corruption, a culture of impunity, and the militarization of policing. These factors are correlated, their relationship is dynamic, and their combination results in human rights abuse in policing practices in Bangladesh. Finally, the article suggests some policy measures including the de-militarization and de-politicization of law enforcement agencies, breaking the culture of impunity, and eradicating corruption. However, major political, social, legal, and institutional reforms and the development of the human rights movement are needed for implementing these measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fostering tax morale and reducing tax evasion is particularly challenging for the fragile democracies of Eastern Europe and post-Soviet Eurasia. This study investigates enforced and voluntary tax compliance motivations in Hungary, where democratic decline and a taxation policy shift towards deterrence measures occurred simultaneously. We compare the tax compliance motivations of citizens before and after a series of corruption scandals related to the tax authority. Our findings demonstrate that these scandals undermined trust in the tax authority and voluntary tax compliance. An important policy implication is that the tax regimes of fragile democracies should include measures to build trust in national tax authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and across Britain's empire, the idea took hold that a public office was a fiduciary trust, with legally and rhetorically enforceable duties of accountability, selflessness, and duty of care. Coupled with a remarkably free press which enabled the exposure and pursuit of corrupt activity, and petitioning activity that put pressure on Parliament, this development fostered important ideas and practices of public accountability. Yet, as the second half of the article shows, these were often difficult to effect and sustain at the local level, especially in large urban parishes, where campaigners were sometimes able to mobilize popular support for anti-corruption investigations but also faced a degree of indifference that meant change and reform were protracted, patchy, and by no means certain. Thus, on the one hand, popular control—or perhaps better, popular accountability—advanced in conceptual, legal, and some practical ways; but on the other, in some circumstances it was difficult to implement and was blunted by a range of factors that limited popular pressure and worked against reform. This article thus problematizes a linear narrative of unfailing progress toward greater accountability, highlighting instead the variety of local experiences and the nature of anti-corruption as an ongoing process. Both the central state and the parish state faced similar challenges, albeit in different contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does the implementation of transitional justice (TJ) mechanisms such as trials, truth commissions, and institutional reforms reduce corruption by enhancing accountability, building trust, and creating a culture of deterrence? Although prior work has studied whether economic crimes should be included in TJ agendas, TJ's potential to address corruption has been mostly overlooked. On the one hand, theory suggests that TJ could reduce corruption; yet, on the other, it indicates that TJ mechanisms are not effective enough at solving deep-rooted corruption. Testing these opposing arguments using data from 106 postconflict countries that experienced conflict between 1946 and 2006, I find that the implementation of TJ and corruption are not statistically associated. However, when I further investigate this relationship with only "well-implemented" TJ mechanisms, purges are found to be negatively associated with political corruption and amnesties are positively associated with regime corruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In some modern conflicts, stronger militaries have displayed poor performance in conflicts, as evidenced by slow military offensives, high battlefield casualty rates, failure to secure planned objectives and defeat in the war. Poor conflict performance, in these cases, is attributed to material and certain non-material state characteristics such as regime type, economic development, and ideology. Current explanations of conflict performance, however, have yet to integrate empirical evidence identifying another state characteristic as a negative influence on state capacity: corruption. To address this gap, we identify direct and indirect theoretical channels by which state-level corruption impacts conflict performance. Corruption decreases the war material available to troops on the ground and negatively impacts strategic decision-making by commanders. An analysis of states in interstate conflicts from 1816 to 1990 confirms the relationship between corruption and several measures of conflict performance. Case evidence from the First Russian-Chechen War is used to illustrate the mechanisms of our argument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence of heterogeneity in the literature that addresses the sources of economic growth, from an empirical point of view, generates a problem of uncertainty. The objective is to identify robust determinants of economic growth in Mexico by reducing the uncertainty of the model. To do so, the Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) methodology is proposed, which analyzes many explanatory variables simultaneously. Thus, 28 possible determinants are considered in a sample that includes the 32 federal entities, to include the period 2010-2021. The BMA constructs various possible combinations of models to extract the most robust determinants. Similarly, the instrumental variables BMA (IVBMA) is used to consider possible endogeneity problems. The results show a set of significant economic, institutional, and social variables to understand economic growth in Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article aims to establish an overview of the phenomenon of corruption and the failure of anticorruption policies. Analytically the fight against anticorruption focuses on the possibility of collective action as a non-institutional, unexpected form of participation that can break with inertia, fear, passivity, and social inaction in the face of corruption. Under the hypothesis that the role of trust and integrity of individuals are conditioning factors for the construction of a collective action capable of dealing with corruption, the analysis allows us to deduce that the effectiveness of collective action in the fight against corruption will depend on their ability to shape decisions, over and above the incentives inherent to corruption and the reciprocal relationships of social groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction projects are actualized through the involvement of multidisciplinary stakeholders from various cultural and ethnic groups or nationalities who have different levels of exposure to civilization, languages, and world views. Their cultural diversity makes the evaluation of corruption a daunting task and subsequently can adversely affect the team decision-making process, disrupt collaboration among stakeholders, reduce project quality, and hinder outcomes of construction projects. The constant occurrence of building collapse, in which about 83% are linked to corruption, cost overrun, time overrun, and risk to lives in construction projects, often point at corrupt behaviors among construction stakeholders during decision-making, which remain unabated. Construction team members with a corrupt mindset may jeopardize the required standards, specifications, manipulate construction bid, inflate construction cost, distort information, and thorough supervision of projects. In fact, discouragement of foreign investors in the construction industry, which often affects the reputation of the industry, can further exacerbate if not curbed. Past studies mainly focused on forms of corruption in the construction industry, while understanding the factors that triggers them can lead to the practical recommendations for minimizing corruption. Therefore, this study used focus groups to explore corruption factors and the ways they inhibit team decision-making on construction projects in Africa. Hence, five focus groups of a total of 30 construction professionals were conducted virtually with consultants, contractors, government officials, developers, and clients in the Nigerian construction industry. The discourses in the focus groups were summarized and analyzed using contextual analysis. The participants identified 15 corruption factors that affected the team decision-making processes on construction projects, and those corruption influences were classified into four main types: (1) individual people's values (e.g., unity, tolerance, harmony, superiority, etc.); (2) project factors (project complexity and project secrecy); (3) organizational variables (organization–government alliances and unethical professionalism); and (4) societal factors (social pressures, social norms, and social ties). The study's findings build an understanding of the critically important corrupt actions that negatively influence construction projects. Even more importantly, the findings can be used to design public enlightenment campaigns against corruption and in favor of project monitoring. Practical recommendations are given, such as positive applications of human values, with utmost sincerity, to achieve the expected goals of team decision-making. The deliberate involvement of female construction professionals in project teams is also advised. In summary, the corruption factors that we investigated in this study form a basis for a future larger-scale study; meanwhile, the approach we employed is suitable for drawing necessary inferences. Practical Applications: The bane of corruption in the construction industry is alarming, especially in developing countries. In this research, the factors of corruption affecting team decision-making on construction projects were explored in an interactive discourse among groups of construction stakeholders. For minimizing the corrupt actions and improving the completion of construction projects within cost, time, and quality, values of individual stakeholders and projects can be the fundamental components in the industry. Transparency in the construction team decision-making process must be ensured by making all contract information available to the public for monitoring and progress tracking. It is expected that corrupt actions as a result of alliances between construction organizations and government officials can then be uncovered and minimized. The construction institutions must also ensure that unethical professionalism among members is punished adequately without favor or prejudice, and every opportunity for corruption to thrive in the society must be discouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using Frankfurt School Critical Theory, we examine the political outcomes of how Asian populist authoritarian regimes seized the COVID-19 pandemic context for regime maintenance and power consolidation. The pandemic revealed interesting India-Philippines parallels highlighting three inter-connected political-economic development patterns contextualising analogous state responses to COVID-19. First, how neo-liberal economic policies pursued through old and new technologies of domination accompanied phenomenal economic growth rates without addressing structural socio-economic inequalities. Second, how parallel predisposing conditions of failed political promises, increased rent-seeking opportunities, and corruption under constricted neo-liberal democracies, gave rise to populist authoritarian leaders. Third, how combined neo-liberalism and populist authoritarianism conditioned conflictual and contested government responses to the pandemic, bolstering power consolidation and regime maintenance, on the one hand, and ensuing political contestations on the other. Populist authoritarianism persists during pandemics through three significant connected elements of ideological domination propagated through mass media, the hetero-patriarchal family, and educational system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religious organizations, including churches, can play an important role in promoting peace and stability. This role is not always recognized by policymakers and academics in the West. This essay shows how many churches in Kenya recently excluded politicians from their religious gatherings and denied them access to the pulpit. They did this to help prevent violence from breaking out around the elections. With the upcoming elections in the United States, churches and church leaders could learn from their Kenyan colleagues. Americans should cherish the separation of religion and electoral politics since it is meant to prevent politics from becoming corrupt or religion becoming untruthful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While studies show that public opinion and educational workshops promoted by nonprofits affect judicial behavior, it remains unclear whether and how social movements affect judges' decision-making through disruptive actions. I develop a framework to explain the conditions under which and the mechanisms through which social movement mobilization affects the decision-making of judges, drawing on a mixed-methods study of anti-corruption protests in Brazil. I constructed an original dataset of decisions of corruption cases at the Brazilian Superior Court of Justice (2003–2016). Results showed that actions that target judicial cases (case-focused protests)—but not protests that simply put the issue on the public agenda—are associated with higher chances that judges will decide in ways that are aligned with the movements' demands. I supplemented this data with a qualitative analysis of appeals on two investigations of similar crimes and some of the same defendants but with different outcomes in appellate courts: Sandcastle (Castelo de Areia) and Car Wash (Lava Jato). Drawing on 110 interviews with prosecutors and judges and document analysis of criminal charges and judicial decisions, I show that case-focused protests affect judicial behavior through two mechanisms: by threatening the personal reputation of judges and the legitimacy of courts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the potential sources and consequences of unfairness in artificial intelligence (AI) predictive tools used for anti-corruption efforts. Using the examples of three AI-based anti-corruption tools from Brazil—risk estimation of corrupt behaviour in public procurement, among public officials, and of female straw candidates in electoral contests—it illustrates how unfairness can emerge at the infrastructural, individual, and institutional levels. The article draws on interviews with law enforcement officials directly involved in the development of anti-corruption tools, as well as academic and grey literature, including official reports and dissertations on the tools used as examples. Potential sources of unfairness include problematic data, statistical learning issues, the personal values and beliefs of developers and users, and the governance and practices within the organisations in which these tools are created and deployed. The findings suggest that the tools analysed were trained using inputs from past anti-corruption procedures and practices and based on common sense assumptions about corruption, which are not necessarily free from unfair disproportionality and discrimination. In designing the ACTs, the developers did not reflect on the risks of unfairness, nor did they prioritise the use of specific technological solutions to identify and mitigate this type of problem. Although the tools analysed do not make automated decisions and only support human action, their algorithms are not open to external scrutiny. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corruption is a ubiquitous problem, but implementing serious anti-corruption measures is politically hard – the backlash from the corrupt is certain, but the broader political benefits are uncertain. Consequently, reformers face a dilemma in that even if they can pass reforms, it is not clear that the public will notice or reward them. To date, we have limited evidence on whether citizens notice anti-corruption reforms, how such reforms shape corruption perceptions, and whether there are real political benefits to reformers. In this article, we exploit a quasi-experiment embedded in the rollout of traffic police reform in Ukraine following the Euromaidan Revolution of 2013–14 to address each of these issues in turn. We find that citizens do respond quite accurately and durably in their evaluations of the most immediately affected institutions, but the spillovers to other political institutions are limited, short-lived, and offer little electoral gain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The factors contributing to corruption within the construction sector have yet to be associated with the phenomenon of greed—the pursuit of self-interest and a widely recognized and extensively studied primary catalyst for corrupt practices. The mechanisms by which self-centeredness culminates in corruption within the construction industry, the prevalence of greed among the various stakeholders involved in the construction industry, and the potential impact of greed and its diverse manifestations on corruption within the construction industry remain elusive. Thus, this study analyses the diverse impacts of different manifestations of greed and self-interest on the various forms of corruption observed among construction stakeholders. The individuals involved in this study are contractors who are actively involved in the execution of building and construction projects within the geographical boundaries of Nigeria. A factor structure validity, construct validity, convergent validity, and hypothesis test using structural equation modeling were performed on the items assessed in the questionnaire. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between greed and self-interest in five specific pathways. The study found that the manifestations of corruption among contractors are subject to varying degrees of strength, contingent upon the influence of greed and self-interest. It was evident in the findings that the coexistence of biological, psychological, and social disorders contributes to an increased susceptibility to partake in corruption. The study contributes to knowledge by revealing that corruption is a sequential phenomenon initiated by greed, intensified by insatiable desires, and ultimately manifested through self-interested associations. These associations create an intricate web of influences and a complex network that enable corrupt practices within the construction industry. Practical Applications: Practical applications of this study's findings are in terms of understanding the multifaceted nature of corruption and designing effective interventions aimed at addressing greed and self-interest-related issues within the construction sector. The study enables an understanding of the drivers behind insatiable needs by explaining that the types and severity of corruption are inherent in the different levels of greed and the different ways in which self-interest drives individuals to engage in corrupt activities. The study's practical application in developing corruption interventions or prevention strategies is the need to promote transparency, accountability, and integrity in both the public and private sectors by exploring the relationship between socioeconomic disparities, cultural norms, political systems, international cooperation, technology, and economic consequences. The interventions should focus on education, raising awareness about the negative consequences of greed, and promoting empathy and altruism as a means to counter excessive self-interest, and laying emphasis on the benefits of cooperation and collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution develops previous work analysing forms of misconduct by knowledge-intensive professional business services (P-KIBS) firms, globally located and client-interactive on all five continents. Here we focus on accountancy partnerships, having previously investigated management consultancies. In the former, the infractions range from condoning systematic cheating at accountancy examinations, to unchecked client accountancy estimates signed-off as satisfactory, to covering up inflated budgetary estimates, to advising clients on fraudulent practice, to advising on tax evasion, to acting complicitly in corrupt government practices, including engaging in 'state capture' by channelling internal state revenue into private holding bank accounts. Because the litany of misconduct is too enormous for encompassing in a single contribution and in the spirit of this task, the spotlight is only on a few cases that represent typical 'creative economy' companies contracted to 'Big 4' accountancy P-KIBS in relation to sustainability and social equity issues. For interpretation of data discovery, we utilize evolutionary 'pattern recognition' methodology set within a 'Thirdspace-assemblage' theoretical framework. As a test, we sketch the 'sustainability' complexities of the Pacific Gas & Electricity (PG&E) and Deloitte/Lloyds Register relationship. Among the 'creativity' studies reported are the PWC-Walt Disney, KPMG-Conviviality and their EY-KPMG-Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon scandals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ethical conflict is embedded in healthcare and is common in critical care setting. However, there is a paucity of research on the nature of ethical conflict in China. Ethical conflict has cultural and context sensitivity. Therefore, evidence is needed from different backgrounds to help discuss this issue across borders. Aim: This study aimed to qualitatively identify the experience of ethical conflict in critical care professionals in China. Study design: From December 2021 to February 2022, we performed semi‐structured, face‐to‐face interviews with 21 critical care professionals from five intensive care units in a tertiary general hospital in China. A thematic analysis approach was used to analyse the data. Results: Five themes and 14 sub‐themes emerged from the data. Critical care professionals probably felt unable to navigate uncertainty, torn by family issues, outraged by unprofessional behaviours of medical staff, being trapped in a socioeconomic dilemma when having experience of ethical conflict. In addition, they also perceived that they could turn struggle into growth. Conclusions: The experience of ethical conflict in critical care professionals involved a mixture of feelings. This study builds a comprehensive understanding of how ethical conflict affected their perceptions of themselves and their profession and provides implications to develop effective coping strategies. Relevance to Clinical Practice: The identification of critical care professionals' experience of ethical conflict would help identify what might trigger the ethical issues and what would be the potential target to optimize in critical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the performance of democratic leadership in the Nigerian state in sub-Saharan Africa to determine if democracy dividends accrue to the citizens. The study suggests that in the fight against corruption, the government must guarantee the independence of the anticorruption institutions and fix the socioeconomic factors plaguing the nation. Evidence from the descriptive statistical outputs of the moderator factors such as corruption, inflation, infrastructure and insecurity suggests a deleterious moderation in the relationship between 'democratic leadership performance' and 'democracy dividends'. Thus, the diminutive influence of the former on the latter potentially leaves the citizens vulnerable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Declining democracy in Central America, from oppressive policies in El Salvador and detaining journalists in Guatemala to emerging anti-press rhetoric in Costa Rica, reinforces a history of violent censorship for Latin American media, complicating journalists' abilities to influence communication. Through interviews with journalists in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, this study analyzes the role of social media in Central American journalism. The interviews reveal that while the dominance of algorithms and information monopolies may assist financially controlled mainstream journalists, social media provide opportunities for alternative journalists in Central America to circumvent economic constraints and become more prominent gatekeeping actors in political communication. These findings indicate a shift in the news agenda, facilitated by social media but hindered by the lingering darkness of constrained media systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia has been the site of major advances in the creation of public sector anticorruption commissions since 1989. However, commissions with broad jurisdiction have been limited to the six states until 2023. The federal jurisdiction lagged behind, with a series of scandals driving intensified debates from 2013. Performance issues associated with state agencies formed part of the debate. The present paper reviews this history, focusing on the intensification of research and lobbying efforts leading to the establishment of a National Anti-Corruption Commission in 2023. The paper also critiques the legislation behind the new agency, arguing it entails considerable limitations and that agency legitimacy and effectiveness will only be achieved through the inclusion of integrity issues of concern to citizens, a strong focus on prevention, and significant independence in investigations and adjudication. These lessons are of relevance to other jurisdictions facing the issue of effective institutional responses to public sector misconduct risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While state culpability in compounding disasters is nothing new, in the aftermath of the recent earthquake in Turkey the extent of state dysfunction characterized by paralysis of the administrative institutions was unprecedented. Autocratization does not mesh well with effective disaster and crisis management, neither in theory nor in practice. Over the last two decades, rising competitive authoritarianism in the country has undermined accountability, participation, predictability, and transparency in Turkish governance structures, all of which are key factors that support risk reduction and disaster management. Relying on a conceptual and theoretical inquiry informed by the concepts of autocratic legalism and tailor-made laws, this case study argues that countries characterized by competitive authoritarianism are less effective in managing disasters, because they abuse state institutions for partisan goals, create disparities in access to public resources, and diminish accountability mechanisms. The elimination of democracy as a guiding principle in public-sector management is proving ever more disastrous as details concerning the response to the earthquake emerge. This analysis offers lessons and insights regarding the strategies that were used to sideline the bureaucracy and oversight processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines the relationship between democracy, authoritarianism, and political corruption through a comparative case study of Elite Cartel corruption in Hungary and Italy. While perceptions of corruption have significantly worsened in Hungary over the last 10 years, they have significantly improved in Italy. We utilize the theory of deep democratization as a way of explaining these trends. Deep democratization is a long-term process resulting in social and political changes leading to rules and mechanisms of accountability that provide wider inclusion in the governance process and autonomy from corrupt networks of elites. The five key characteristics of a country that has achieved deep democratization include competitive multi-party elections, professionalism in the civil service, a strong and independent judiciary, a free and independent press, and a strong and vibrant civil society. In the case of Hungary, each of these five characteristics have been significantly weakened as a result of its backsliding towards authoritarianism. In the case of Italy, however, the relative strengthening of these characteristics has led to substantive progress in its fight against corruption. Our findings support previous research that indicates authoritarianism breeds corruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the impact of fiscal transparency on governance and corruption within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with a specific focus on Egypt's standing compared to its regional counterparts. Utilizing data from the Open Budget Survey and the Bayesian Corruption Index, alongside a review of fiscal policies and economic performance metrics, the research highlights the nuanced role of fiscal transparency in combating corruption and fostering effective governance. Findings indicate that higher levels of budgetary transparency correlate with reduced perceptions of corruption, suggesting the critical importance of transparent fiscal practices for governance improvement. The study also explores the relationship between fiscal policies, economic performance, and investment, underlining the significance of transparency in enhancing economic outcomes. This research contributes to the broader scholarly discourse on fiscal governance by providing empirical evidence of the benefits of transparency within the challenging context of the MENA region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corruption in Nigerian society is no longer just a subject of speculation; rather, it is now regarded as a national embarrassment. It is among the primary issues brought on by the persistent corruption that permeates contemporary Nigerian society. Throughout the history of this nation, multiple initiatives have been made at different times to halt the spread of this beast. This article states that, given the lack of success of Nigeria's multiple attempts to tackle corruption, address the corruption problem, and achieve long-term, sustainable growth in Nigeria, the behaviour of Nigerians needs to change, and the way they achieve this is by adhering to ethical theories. These theories provide certain moral convictions and perspectives, which then lead people's behaviour in particular ways. The bases of ethical theories are used to develop moral responses to the various issues that leaders and common people face daily. It is possible to analyse hypothetical ethical difficulties as well as real-world scenarios using these theories. As per the principles included in the ethical theory itself, they also highlight several facets of a morally sound resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article summarises previous studies on corruption in the rural sector after Indonesia's Village Law was passed. It uses a non-systematic multidisciplinary survey of forty peerreviewed social science literature from 2014-2023 in the Scopus and Google Scholar databases to explore various complex factors that lead to village fund corruption and the set of conceptually proposed intervention measures to fight it. Public officials have frequently misused the granted autonomy, as proved by the rampant corruption in recent years. Beyond direct financial motives and low salaries, inadequate information provision and institutional weaknesses emerge as additional contributors to corruption. Various tactics, including manipulation of budgets, creation of fictitious reports, hindrance of public facility construction, misappropriation through unproductive enterprises, establishment of "ghost" villages, and solicitation of bribes, are employed by corruptors. Previous authors suggested that effective village governance can prevent and address such a worst maladministration by implementing robust practices like internal control, accountability, transparency, and compliance with regulations. Other proposed solutions to combat village fund corruption are empowering village officials, using advanced technologies, intensifying external audits, getting the community more involved, and enforcing strict legal sanctions. This overview urges evidence-based policies, collaboration, and systemic efforts for inclusive development and equitable outcomes in Indonesia's rural areas. While macro-level studies and specific effective formulas still need to be improved, we call for future research to address this gap by conducting a rigorous exploration of village corruption and producing the best ways to stop it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explores the evolution of the legal concept of "unlawfulness" in corruption cases, focusing on the impact of Constitutional Court Decision No. 03/IV-PUU/2006. The decision limited the scope of "unlawfulness" to violations of formal law, excluding material law from its interpretation. However, the Supreme Court continued to apply the broader concept, considering both formal and material unlawfulness through the "Sens Chair" doctrine, which emphasizes the role of societal justice. The research aims to analyze how the Constitutional Court’s decision affects the prosecution of corruption crimes and how the Supreme Court's differing interpretation impacts legal outcomes. Using a normative legal research method with a legislative and conceptual approach, the study draws on primary, secondary, and tertiary legal sources. The results reveal that the Constitutional Court's decision ensures greater legal certainty, while the Supreme Court’s broader interpretation allows for a more flexible application of justice. The implications of this research suggest that while the legal system strives for certainty, it must also remain adaptable to the evolving nature of corruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shelter is one of the fundamental rights and essential for the dignified living of a human. In 1997, the Bangladesh government undertook a housing initiative for the land and homeless named the "Ashrayan Project". This multi-phased project has provided homes and land to hundreds of thousands of people over the years, and it is still in progress. Under this project, the government has built lots of homes across the nation on khas land. This project instills impetus into the socioeconomic conditions of the people concerned. Due to spatial and other limitations pertaining to improper planning, the project is open to pitfalls. Apart from the facilities provided, the people are bearing the brunt of varying socioeconomic impacts on their lives collectively. Based on primary (qualitative and quantitative) and secondary data, in this study, I have ventured to demystify these impacts with proper suggestions to mitigate the extent of the people's sufferings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study determinants of COVID-19 vaccine donations from recipients' perspective, especially considering supply chain and institutional weakness (corruption) aspects. Results, based on data from more than 130 nations, show that strengthened supply chains reduced donations. The impacts of corruption and logistics performance likely persisted from pre-COVID times. More corrupt nations received fewer donations per capita, ceteris paribus. The results with respect to economic prosperity support efforts to end vaccine apartheid, and island nations received more donations, as did nations with more bilateral vaccine deals. Finally, donations received through COVAX were driven by qualitatively similar factors, except corruption did not matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research paper experimentally examines the influence of corruption control (CC), lending interest rate (LIR), regulatory quality (RQ), government effectiveness (GE), and domestic credit to the private sector (DCPS) on the ease of doing business (EDB). To reach the expected objective, the investigation employs balanced data for all six countries of the Western Balkans, covering the period 2014-2020, employing regression analysis with fixed effects. The approach and parameter selection are guided by the insights from Nageri and Gunu (2020) as well as Belloumi and Alshehry (2021). The discoveries of the research provide evidence that CC, LIR, and RQ have a statistically significant negative influence, versus DCPS has resulted in a significant positive influence on the EDB. The originality and creativity of this investigation lay in the fact that it is a combination of economic and governing variables that are immediately reflected in the favorable environment for doing business. The discoveries of the investigation will be beneficial to the expansion of existing literature in the academic sphere and serve as avenues for proactive discussions among business managers, and students, as well as the policy-making structure concerning the possible implications that can be drawn based on the results of the research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Revolutions rarely achieve their expressed goals, which often include greater economic prosperity, a more egalitarian distribution of rewards, ending corruption, and a less oppressive state. Yet there is no single reason for this, as revolutions of many types—violent and non-violent, radical and moderate—can produce similar outcomes. We explain this by treating revolutionary outcomes as the result of a decision tree process, in which outcomes are reached by a series of steps in which only the initial state of each step and the events at that junction determine the subsequent step. This simplification allows us to identify numerous pathways by which revolutions can unfold. However, relatively few such trajectories lead to stable constitutional regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Despite the huge financial resources associated with oil, Nigeria has consistently recorded poor growth performance. Therefore, this study aims to examine how corruption and oil rent influence Nigeria's economic performance during the 1996–2021 period. Design/methodology/approach: Various estimation techniques were used. These include the bootstrap autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds-testing, dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS), the fully modified OLS (FMOLS) and the canonical cointegration regression (CCR) estimators and the Toda–Yamamoto causality. Findings: The bounds testing results provide evidence of a cointegrating relationship between the variables. In addition, the results of the ARDL, DOLS, CCR and FMOLS estimators demonstrate that oil rent and corruption have a significant positive impact on growth. Further, the results indicate that human capital and financial development enhance economic growth, whereas domestic investment and unemployment rates slow down long-term growth. Additionally, the causality test results illustrate the presence of a one-way causality from oil rent to economic growth and a bi-directional causal relationship between corruption and economic growth. Originality/value: Existing studies focused on the effects of either oil rent or corruption on growth in Nigeria. Little attention has been paid to the exploration of how the rent from oil and the pervasiveness of corruption contribute to the performance of the Nigerian economy. Based on the outcome of this study, strategies and policies geared towards reducing oil dependence and the pervasiveness of corruption, enhancing human capital and financial development and reducing unemployment are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the impact of twin agency problems (political corruption and minority shareholders' expropriation) on corporate debt management policies across a large number of countries. Our results show that in more corrupt countries, managers are more likely to shield liquid assets from potential political extraction by maintaining a higher level of leverage. This effect is magnified by the protection of shareholders' rights. We further show that twin agency problems influence not only the level of debt in capital structures but also other aspects of debt management, including debt maturity, deviation from optimal leverage, capital structure stability, and the leverage speed of adjustments. The findings are robust due to their inclusion of different measures of corruption and a wide range of firm-level and country-level characteristics. Our study has implications for policymakers, as we show that the improvement of the country-level institutional environment and, particularly, addressing corruption can lead to more effective debt management by firms, ultimately resulting in higher firm values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective government rules and regulations, as well as the ability of the regulator to curb corruption and promote voice and accountability, can influence the ability of bank management to allocate resources and ensure high performance. Based on this assumption, we aim to find out whether institutional quality is able to improve bank performance in Italy. To do so, we rely mainly on the diversity of banks, thus capturing the different behaviors of the two main categories, i.e. cooperative and for‐profit banks. Using a parametric method, the results show a clear impact of most dimensions of institutional quality on reducing banks' cost inefficiency. Some robustness checks, especially regarding the role of market structure, confirm our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Plato's Philebus, Socrates' second account of 'false' pleasure (41d-42c) outlines a form of illusion: pleasures that appear greater than they are. I argue that these pleasures are perceptual misrepresentations. I then show that they are the grounds for a methodological critique of hedonism. Socrates identifies hedonism as a judgment about the value of pleasure based on a perceptual misrepresentation of size, witnessed paradigmatically in the 'greatest pleasures'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I present a problem concerning the predication of elemental qualities in Aristotle's On Generation and Corruption: What is the subject of predication for the elemental qualities? The usual answer in the scholarship is either the elements themselves, or prime matter (traditionally conceived). I argue that neither can perform this role. Instead, I explore the possibility that the elemental qualities are individually predicated of their own material principle. I show that this solution fits the text and solves the problem of predication of elemental qualities. I conclude by offering some comments on the status of the elemental contraries and demonstrate the benefits of my view in conjunction with some recent scholarship on the elemental contraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research looks at how plausible the tourism-led growth hypothesis is in the midst of corruption and political unpredictability. For empirical investigation, we utilize panel data from 1995 to 2018 for across the world. A dynamic panel data estimation method is employed for the estimation purpose. The outcomes of our analysis show that tourism-led growth is a phenomenon, but this is contingent on institutional factors. Specifically, high levels of corruption, political instability, and violence pose a significant barrier to beneficial effects of tourism on economic prosperity. We also employ panel quantile regression to estimate the asymmetric effects of tourism. Results of the analysis show that tourism is particularly beneficial for low-income economies. However, results also confirm that institutional factors such as corruption and political instability prevent countries, especially developing nations, from taking advantage of tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Social Research & Behavioral Sciences / Sosyal Araştırmalar ve Davranış Bilimleri Dergisi is the property of Journal of Social Research & Behavioral Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Reflection and reflective practise are well recognised tools that are utilised by healthcare professionals to support self‐awareness and self‐care. In turn, self‐care is a critical component of the wellbeing and the capacity for resilience of healthcare professionals in response to day‐to‐day exposure to emotionally and psychologically challenging situations. Affective reflection, the process of considering and analysing thoughts, feelings and emotions though written dialogue (the act of reflective writing), has been shown to be beneficial for promoting and building resilience in healthcare professionals. Despite the known benefits of these strategies for maintaining wellbeing and avoiding compassion fatigue and burnout, the discourse on the use of affective reflection and reflective writing in the sonography profession is limited. Interventions such as reflection, reflective practise and reflective writing should not be underestimated as tools to promote the adaptive abilities and the degree of individual emotional resilience of sonographers. Long term positive outcomes supported by utilising and practising reflection include the maintenance of emotional stability and an increase in the scope for empathy and subsequently, an enhancement of quality of practise and patient care. This article aims to provide a broad discussion on the practise of affective reflection and showcase the process of reflective writing using written reflective dialogue guides with practical examples relevant to sonography practise. In addition, this paper outlines how these strategies can be incorporated and enacted in the sonography workplace to build resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistan has suffered from pervasive corruption since its foundation. It deals with an unstable political atmosphere and unsustainable economic development due to its fragile institutional setting. The predominance of military power that does not hesitate to overrule any government when it faces a potential threat to its economic-profit channels plays an important role in institutional fragility. Moreover, incompetent civilian rules and the British heritage comprise a vicious cycle that is hard to break. An anemic institutional environment struggles within an embedded cultural structure exacerbated by corruption. This paper discusses corruption in Pakistan from historical, institutional, and economic standpoints. It provides a historical background of corruption. Then, it analyzes the negative economic reverberations of the corruption phenomenon. As an institutional case study, the paper concentrates on National Accountability Bureau (NAB), suggesting that institutional quality can be accomplished through bureaucratic accountability and determination, not through political victimization and abuse of institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research has placed perceived organizational injustice as the main precursor of police corrupt tendencies. However, this line of research has largely ignored the role of equity sensitivity in the relations between organizational injustice and police corrupt tendencies. This is imperative because individuals' preferences for equal ratio of inputs to outcomes are not the same as the equity theory claimed. Therefore, the current study expanded previous research by examining the impact of equity sensitivity on police corrupt tendencies on one hand, and its moderating role in injustice-corrupt tendencies relationship on the other hand. A sample of 236 police officers in Nigeria participated in the study. Results of the hierarchical regression analysis indicated that corrupt tendencies were lower in police officers with higher equity sensitivity (i.e., benevolents) than those with low equity sensitivity (i.e., entitleds). Furthermore, the negative impact of perceived organizational injustice on corrupt tendencies was weaker for police with higher equity sensitivity. These findings have important implications for managerial practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Environmental & Social Management Journal / Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental is the property of Environmental & Social Management Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The persistence of corruption in Malawi is well documented as are its heinous effects. Malawi's response to combating corruption has involved the adoption of legislation and the establishment of a dedicated agency for dealing with the vice. These efforts notwithstanding, the fight against corruption continues to be a lopsided undertaking with the country registering negligible commendable progress while reports of serious corrupt practices are a regular occurrence. Corruption in Malawi, arguably, has become systemic. Corruption seems particularly rife in the realm of public procurement. This paper posits that while the law may commonly be invoked in aid when tackling corruption, it is important to critically reflect on its contribution in fostering and/or enabling corruption. By specifically focusing on the law on public procurement, the paper demonstrates that this regime of law, by containing ambiguous terms, giving public officials broad discretion, conferring public officials with overboard freedom to create subsidiary legislation or regulations, creating burdensome processes, having lacunas in regulatory or administrative procedures, and giving certain groups preferential treatment during procurement processes motivates, enables and creates opportunities for corruption. As a possible solution, the paper proposes that Malawi should adopt corruption proofing of legislative enactments as an ex ante mechanism for dealing with corruption to supplement investigations and prosecutions, which are ex post facto procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anticorruption community largely views corruption as a government or development issue. But in the Philippines, corruption is a social structure. The very social bonds and social structures that are good at building civic unity and solidarity are also good at spreading and maintaining corruption, and this is why corruption is so difficult to remove. Patrons use these societal features to implement a ubiquitous social structure of corruption by means of maneuvered friendships that makes it difficult for the masses to know when a patron is acting as a friend or foe. The social structure encompasses the whole of society and corrupts the encircled government, political, and development systems as easily as it infiltrates all other segments of society. It is why oversight and sector-based anticorruption initiatives underperform, and why initiatives must pivot towards addressing this social structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scientific article explores the issue of corruption in the local self-government bodies of Ukraine and provides suggestions for its prevention and eradication. The article emphasizes examining the reasons and mechanisms for the formation of corrupt practices at the local level, pointing to insufficient transparency and openness in governmental processes, instability in governance structures, and political influences as key factors contributing to the spread of corruption. One of the main recommendations is the necessity of ensuring consistency and stability in legal regulation. It is believed that laws and regulatory acts should be appropriately updated and adapted to changes in society, as well as accessible and understandable to all citizens, which is an important factor in preventing corruption. The active participation of the public in monitoring the activities of governmental structures is also recognized as an effective mechanism for combating corruption. Civil society organizations, activists, and journalists can act as important parties tracking the activities of authorities and contributing to the detection of corrupt practices. Furthermore, the implementation of electronic governance and reporting can significantly enhance transparency and openness in the activities of local self-government bodies and contribute to the detection and prevention of corrupt practices. An important aspect of combating corruption is the role of anti-corruption agencies and international partners. For example, the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) in Ukraine oversees the financial activities of officials, including representatives of local self-government bodies. International organizations and programs, such as the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank, provide financial and technical support for the implementation of anti-corruption measures at the local level. Achieving progress in combating corruption in local self-government bodies requires a systematic approach to improving legal regulation and active citizen participation. Ensuring accessibility and transparency of information about the activities of local authorities, implementing mechanisms of accountability, and increasing the level of legal literacy among citizens are key factors in successfully combating corruption. Therefore, by analyzing the political, legal, and social prerequisites of corruption in local self-government bodies, the article emphasizes the necessity of comprehensive measures to improve legal regulation, engage civil society, and involve international partners in the fight against this negative phenomenon. Only through joint efforts can significant reduction of corruption levels be achieved and improvement of democratic governance at the local level in Ukraine be ensured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]