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In the quest for integrity and transparency, the perception of corruption within a state not only undermines trust in governance but also hinders sustainable progress. This study investigates the relationship between education, economic performance, and governance and their impact on the assessment of corruption in the context of sustainable development goals. The research framework included data from 14 European countries, members of the Schengen zone, using panel data for the period 2003–2022. The analysis of the sample indicators guided us to apply further advanced research methods. Principal Components Analysis was applied to reduce dimensionality. Under various assumptions related to heterogeneity, stationarity and exogeneity, panel Fixed Effects (FE) and Dynamic Panel with Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) were applied to link the drivers and the perception of corruption. The results are twofold: (i) on the one hand, the diachronic evolution of corruption, education index, economic performance or governance perceptions reveals different patterns for the countries of the Schengen zone; (ii) on the other hand, the composite index for education and governance assessment had a significant impact on corruption perceptions, while economic performance showed no apparent link to corruption. Incorporating the effects of economic and political shocks, the study will explore the resilience of the Schengen Zone's governance against corruption, particularly by examining the effectiveness of crisis management and education's role in reinforcing integrity. It will also conduct a longitudinal analysis to assess how these shocks influence corruption perceptions over time, offering insights into the adaptability of policy responses and their lasting impact on public trust. The findings establish new research pathways for academics and provide valuable incentives to policymakers and professional trainers to improve mechanisms for combating corruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study offers a comprehensive insight into the realms of economic fraud and risk management, underscoring the necessity of adaptability to evolving technologies and shifts in financial market dynamics. Through the application of bibliometric methodologies, this study meticulously maps the relevant literature, delineating influential works, notable authors, collaborative networks, and emerging trends. It reviews key research contributions within the field, alongside reputable journals and institutions engaged in academic research. The examination highlights the logical, conceptual, and social interconnections that define the landscape of economic fraud and associated risks, elucidating how these findings inform the understanding, mitigating, and combating of the risk of fraud. Our bibliometric analysis methodology is grounded in the utilization of the Scopus database, employing rigorous filtering and extraction processes to obtain a substantial corpus of pertinent articles. Through a fusion of performance analysis and science mapping, our investigation elucidates central themes and visually represents the interrelationships between studies. Our research outcomes underscore the frequency of paper publications across diverse regions, with particular emphasis on the predominant scientific output from the US and China. Additionally, trends in academic citations are identified, indicative of the significant impact of papers on academic research and the formulation of public policies. By means of bibliometric analysis, this study not only consolidates existing knowledge but also catalyzes the exploration of future research trajectories, emphasizing the imperative of addressing these issues with heightened scientific rigor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to highlight the main forms of economic fraud, such as mortgage fraud, charityfraud, identity fraud, insurance fraud and immigration fraud, and how the funds resulted fromthese illegal activities are converted into white-money by money laundering and used as fundsderiving from legitimate sources. The whole process is affecting the economy and political stabilityof the countries in which they occur, and hence such activities must be forcefully fought and joinedforces should take strong measures, in order to destroy such organizations. This paper is anattempt to explain the concept, significance and implications of the above process.

Economic crimes cover a wide range of crimes, including fraud and fraud, money laundering, corruption, intellectual property crimes and environmental crimes. Economic crimes often have a cross-border element. The main objective of the research is to achieve a hierarchical classification of EU countries in terms of economic crime research, taking into account several specific indicators, indicators that constitute statistical variables of the research. Data classification methods aim to group statistical units into homogeneous groups or clusters according to recorded variables. Following the analysis, we can observe a very strange connection between the total number of Investigations initiated by the National Bureaus in 2021 and the number of investigations in which 2 countries are involved. At the same time, a very close connection can be observed between the total number of Investigations initiated by the National Bureaus in 2021 and the number of files still under investigation, opened in the years before 2021, from here we can conclude that the level of economic crime at the EU level is a consistent one in 2021 compared to previous years. We can also observe that both Germany, France and Italy are positioned very far from the rest of the countries, a possible explanation for this phenomenon is the efficiency and transparency of the judicial system in these countries, the low level of corruption that allows the investigation of more cases, but also the territorial extent and the high level of income from these countries, which attract a high level of economic crime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fraud in the economy is also known as financial crime and refers to the illegal acts committed by individuals or groups of individuals for the purpose of gaining a financial or professional advantage. For organized criminal groups, economic fraud has the advantage of a low risk and a high return, especially for fraud cases that can only be discovered through international cooperation, as well as for Internet crimes for which jurisdiction needs to be established. Using the AFC statistical analysis method, this research focuses on the comparative analysis of crime in the economic sphere among European states and proposes a dynamic analysis of the prevention of financial crime in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the study are significant from both research and a practical perspective, providing important clues regarding the ability to adapt to unforeseen situations of the institutions with a role in the investigation and sanctioning of economic crimes at the level of each country included in the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the two phenomena of economic financial crime: corruption and the underground economy, which have managed to expend internationally. The current context has allowed the emergence and the development of this phenomena into the society, the public sector and the business environment that generates a decrease of investments, innovation and research at national, European level. In this article we have presented some elements of the literature review on corruption and on the underground economy, as well as the direct and strong connection between the two and the impact of corruption and the underground economy in the innovation and development of the business environment at the level of the European Union. The research methodology used in the elaboration of this article was the qualitative method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to illustrate the economic fraud and organized crime do not only work with cash or conventional currencies, but also depend on cryptocurrencies. We will analyze the money laundering process and how cryptocurrencies were integrated in this process and how the law enforcement and government agencies react to this new form of currency. Cryptocurrencies phase out the need for intermediary institutions and enable financial transactions directly between peers. Owing to the transparency provided by blockchain, cryptocurrencies have been preferred by the darknet and other organised criminals. Cryptocurrencies are an emerging form of money that first was born from the creation of Bitcoin in 2009. This type of solely digital currency was meant to be a major rival of the government-backed fiat currency responsibility of the central banking system. The paper contributes to current debates and discussions on cryptocurrencies by introducing new legislation to discourage them from being used in money laundering. This article is a research paper covering cryptocurrencies and their function in moneylaundering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Money laundering is the procedure by which a significant amount of unlawfully gained money, resulted from illegal activities such as drug smuggling and drug trafficking, arms dealing, human trafficking, corruption or other crimes, are transformed into lawful assets resulted from legal activities. If done successfully, money laundering gives its authors the possibility to use the money resulted from illegal activities and give the impression to be derived from legal activities. Money laundering plays a crucial part, as it drives away the diligence of the law-enforcement institutions from the significant volume of income resulted in a short amount of time, from criminal activities. This paper aims to outline different money laundering techniques and issue suitable countermeasures resulting in a more powerful and competent fight against this phenomenon. The methodology used for this paper is made of case studies, relevant to the current topic, retrieved from the web as sources of information. The value of this paper is outlining different money laundering techniques used by the criminal groups, and in the end, issuing recommendations towards actions to be taken in the fight against money laundering by law enforcement and financial institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]