Systemic corruption remains a challenge to good governance and development in many parts of the world, while anti-corruption policies have largely been failing to prove success, despite increased international efforts. The growing scope of research literature suggests that ineffectiveness of the fight against corruption is caused by the inadequate theoretical ground that anti-corruption activities are developed on. Principal-agent model of anti-corruption interventions, which have been dominant, fall short in targeting the roots of systemic corruption and its informal institutions. As a result, a policy gap emerges between the reality of corruption and practice to curb it. By presenting the main indicators of systemic corruption and features of the anti-corruption policy gap, this thesis probes into the nature of corruption in Azerbaijan and analyzes the anti-corruption policies in place. It concludes that systemic corruption continues to prevail as a norm in Azerbaijan, while measures to fight against corrupt practices remain largely unsuccessful, due to lack of political will of principals, in contrary to the assumptions of the principal-agent framework.

In 2019, the two Swedish banks Swedbank and SEB was involved in what has been called one of the largest money laundry scandals. Money laundering is a critical sustainability issue for banks since their operations enable money from corrupt activities to be laundered into the financial system, hence diverts resources from education and health services. Corruption is a difficult topic to manage due to its invisible nature, making it hard to detect and measure compared to emissions or compliance with human rights. In the last decades, there has been an increasing demand for organizations to communicate their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) considerations. However, the flexibility allowed by standards and regulation in this area regarding what to disclose have been argued to undermine the reliability of CSR information. There have been discussions whether the banks had informed stakeholders about the anticorruption risks sufficiently, information that primarily should be communicated through sustainability and annual reports. Previous studies examining CSR reporting quality have found that companies present information in different ways, complicating a comparison of information. They have also found that such disclosure has been used as a strategy to highlight only the good work of a company and omit negative disclosures. This study examines the quality of CSR information that is communicated in annual and sustainability reports of the four largest banks operating in Sweden; Nordea, Handelsbanken, Swedbank, and SEB. Our focus is limited to disclosure about anti-corruption for which the Global reporting initiative (GRI) provides principles in terms of what they asses to be good content and quality. We will use these principles when structuring our categories in our qualitative content analysis with quantitative elements and when we analyse and make conclusions of our results regarding the quality. We use a content analysis model called the Consolidated Narrative Interrogation Model (CONI) which integrate both qualitative and quantitative measures of CSR reporting quality. Our result show that anti-corruption disclosure differs in terms of presentation structure, which requirements from GRI that are applied and how much information that is disclosed. The overall conclusion regarding its quality is that it does not meet the reporting quality principles stated in GRI 101: foundation. We find indications of strategic legitimacy in terms of how banks disclose anti-corruption activities which is critical for the overall reporting practise since its purpose it to constitute an accurate and reliable source of information to stakeholders.

Magister Legum - LLM / Today corruption is a major concern for most countries.1 Civil forfeiture of the proceeds of corruption has been embraced as a key strategy by many states in recovering public funds lost through corruption.2 It may be defined as a remedial statutory device designed to recover the proceeds of a crime as well as its instrumentalities.3 Originally, asset recovery regimes adopted by most states were predominantly criminal forfeiture. This mode of forfeiture is preceded by a conviction, after which the state takes possession of the proceeds of the crime from a convicted individual.4 Its proceedings are in personam and the standard of proof is proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Thus, actual forfeiture only takes place after the issue of a conviction order. As a consequence, it is always lengthy and often results in delayed realisation of the proceeds of crime. 5 The inherent weaknesses of criminal forfeiture gave birth to the idea of developing a civil forfeiture system.6 This mode is different from the former in that its proceedings are in rem. Hence the standard of proof is proof on a balance of probabilities and a conviction order is not required.7

The diploma thesis "Anti-corruption activism of the commercial sector from the point of view of political opportunity structure theory" Abstract The diploma thesis "Anti-corruption activism of the commercial sector from the point of view of political opportunity structure theory" was devoted to the structure of political opportunities in 1998 to 2012 in relation to manifestations of corruption in the Czech Republic and the role of the commercial sector in terms of anti-corruption involvement. This thesis aimed to find out what is the structure of the opportunities, that participants of the commercial sector can be use in order to influence anti-corruption public politics. Two periods were found from the period of time which the thesis focuses on, during which more fundamental manifestations of the commercial sector occurred. The first period was linked to accession of the Czech Republic to the EU, when presentation of the commercial sector most frequently took place via special-interest associations and tools of Commercial ethics and the concept of CSR supported by activities of the European Union. Years of accession talks showed themselves to be an opportunity, above all for international companies operating in the Czech Republic with a dominance of use of political and institutional opportunities. The...

The thesis investigates corruption and the anti-corruption strategies. Focusing on the case study of Ukraine, it is shown how corruption can affect society and what particular measures can be undertaken for tackling this phenomenon. It is illustrated that the current level of corruption in Ukraine is high in all fields of public management: the customs and taxation systems, law enforcement agencies, the judicial system, business, and so on. The analysis of the Ukrainian government's anti-corruption strategies reveals that they are based primarily on deregulation, demonopolization, the creation of a strong institutional environment, and digitalization. In recent years, Ukraine has been able to achieve institutional advancements through the creation of new anti-corruption bodies and has initiated digitalization as a new strategic direction against corruption. However, none of these activities have brought tangible results so far. The thesis analyzes why the government's anti-corruption strategies have been fruitless to date and how the situation might develop in the future. Keywords anti-corruption strategies, bribery, corruption, European Union, institutional reforms, public officials, Ukraine. Abstrakt Práce zkoumá korupci a protikorupční strategie se zaměřením na případovou studii Ukrajiny. Je...

This thesis examines the media strategies employed by leading figures and organizations in the Russian political opposition landscape, namely Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF), Dmitry Gudkov's Secretariat of European Russians, Mikhail Khodorkovsky's Russian Action Committee, Feminist Anti-War Resistance, and Ilya Ponomarev. Using critical discourse analysis as its core methodology, the study aims to unravel the complex dynamics between stated values and media strategies. The strategies analyzed include 'Investigative Outreach,' 'Diaspora Engagement,' 'Media Magnate Mobilisation,' 'Grassroots Guerrilla Artivism,' and 'Dual Role Diplomacy.' The study is framed within the theoretical constructs of social constructivism and media frame theory. These frameworks allow for a critical examination of how the media strategies of these entities are socially constructed and framed, thereby shaping public perception and narrative. Key findings reveal that although these strategies amplify political reach and influence, they also pose challenges such as dilution of core messages and ethical quandaries.

Corruption from a criminological perspective forms the basis of this dissertation. The crime component of corruption the 'what', 'why' and 'how' is the dominant theme throughout the study and includes corruption in the South African public sector, highlighting police corruption in the Western Cape. Although this study is exploratory, certain qualitative interviewing techniques, including an interview guide, were used to maximise the information obtained from knowledgeable interviewees. Corruption was further elucidated by the employment of criminological theories to explain pertinent findings in the research, by highlighting risk factors that lead to corruption, by giving examples of corruption and by discussing anti-corruption agencies and the effectiveness of existing legislation. Corruption in the public sector has always been around and will be ad infinitum. The severity of the consequences of this phenomenon can be curtailed by the will of politicians, the involvement of civil society and an operational criminal justice system. / Criminology / MA (Criminology)

The study sought to investigate the impact of systemic corruption in public enterprises in the Harare metropolitan area in Zimbabwe. This research study used a case and explanatory research designs as its major research approaches. The study was largely prompted by the high level of corruption in public enterprises as reported to the Anti - Corruption Commission and the media. In this study, fourteen (14) directors and twenty six (26) public enterprise officials were used as research subjects. Questionnaires, interviews and documentary reviews were used as research instruments to collect information on the impact of systemic corruption in public enterprises in the Harare metropolitan area. The study showed that low remuneration levels for both low and high level public enterprise officials, patronage appointment to higher level of management and the lack of political will to empower public enterprise officials on the evil of corruption were the causes of systemic corruption. Greed, the disintegration of work morality and ethics in the manner in which public affairs across public enterprises were being handled, were key causes of systemic corruption (see chapter 4 for details). The high level of secrecy in the management of public affairs, the lack of transparency, discipline, fairness, responsibility, equity and weak legal system on corruption were also noted to be corruption drivers. With regard the manifestation of corruption in public enterprises, it was established that systemic corruption occurred in the following forms: abuse of power, fraud, favouritism, embezzlement, weak control, extortion and ghosting.The study also showed that systemic corruption created problems such as administrative inefficiency and parasitism, a social atmosphere of tension and dishonesty within public enterprises (see chapter 4 for details). Corruption reallocated resources to the rich and powerful public officials who were aligned to the ruling party or those in authority. The study also noted that public enterprises officials were using technical complexity in procedures and regulations to conceal under-dealings.It was iv the findings of this study that rewarding for reasons not related to performance, dishonesty, over claiming expenses, falsification of reports/records and favouritism in public enterprises were high. The study also revealed that bid-rigging, shifting from core business, ghosting, and giving gratitude/gift to influence decision were some of the prevalent unethical activities in public enterprises. Against this backdrop, it is recommended that the level of remuneration in public enterprises for public officials is improved so that the minimum grounds for corruption motives are reduced. When salaries are too low, officers are obviously forced to indulge in unethical activities which in turn affect the general public directly or indirectly. It is critical that all public enterprise officials undergo training in the dimension of corruption and corporate governance as a means of empowerment. Corrupt individuals and business organisations in the Harare metropolitan area should not be employed or engaged in public related work and that public affairs must be managed in a transparent and open manner although confidentiality must be observed. The study also recommends that the appointment of public enterprise officials must be based on competence, relevant educational qualifications and experience. Another recommendation is that all cases of corruption must be treated as high level criminal cases which attract longer and deterrent court judgments (see chapter four for details). / Public Administration and Management / M.P.A.

本文試圖將澳門博彩產業的發展分為三個不同時期，包括︰1849年至1999年的澳葡政府時期、1999年至2009的開放賭牌與澳門政府介入的澳門特區政府時期，以及2009年後，北京政府對澳門產業重新定位的珠三角經濟區時期。分析澳門回歸中國後，殖民地的角色改變、國內外的環境與需求的變化下，政府、企業、學術單位等的三個角色，在不同的時期下是如何的合作以及互動。 本文假設，在1999年後，澳門政府的角色明顯轉變，國家透過大量的政策工具，使澳門的博彩業快速轉型為全面性的旅遊博彩業，澳門政府扮演著「主導者」跟「執行者」的角色。而2009年後，北京政府對澳門產業有了新的定位，北京政府便回到國家「主導者」的角色，而澳門政府則成了地方「執行者」。 但本文認為，由於2009年後，北京政府擔任產業「主導者」，卻與過去「一國兩制」下的國家角色有矛盾；加上跨國資本階層力量遠大於澳門政府力量，而且過去的營利模式與政府的產業方向有衝突，導致2009年後，國家機器的角色失靈，澳門博彩業並不如理想中的發展。直到2012年，北京政府在國內的反貪腐行動，卻間接把澳門產業發展拉回正軌。 最後本文假設，1999年後在澳門政府的引導之下，澳門博彩業成功跨出國際市場，加速全球資金、人才、技術等在澳門的流動，使博彩業走向全球化；同時間，澳門政府在本地利用國家政策，促使跨國企業、學術單位、賭場三者，在澳門形成了在地化的知識網絡，使澳門博彩業幾年之間在技術上快速創新升級。而到了2009年後，澳門的在地知識網絡，也隨著國家對產業的需求而轉變。

Korruption lässt sich als ökonomische Austauschbeziehung mit den Akteuren Prinzipal, Agent und Klient darstellen. Die Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, welche Faktoren das Ausmaß der Schädigung des Prinzipals durch Korruption beeinflussen und mit welchen Mitteln der Prinzipal entgegen steuern kann. Neben den Auswirkungen von Kontrollen, Strafandrohung, kulturellen und individuellen Faktoren wird insbesondere der Einfluss der Entlohnungsgestaltung untersucht. Die Zusammenhänge werden mit Hilfe formaler Modelle dargestellt und durch eine Auswertung empirischer Untersuchungen ergänzt.