Corruption, understood as the misuse of public office for private gain, has become a matter of global concern. Numerous measures being taken, not least in South Africa, to contain its spread are increasingly regarded as attempts in "fighting corruption". The South African public sector provides the context for this study where manifestations of corrupt behaviour may be observed and analysed. Particular attention is given to the role, relevance and costs which, as this study shows, must first be calculated in monetary terms as a fiscal end in order for the task of fighting corruption to produce a sustainable impact. The national strategy developed by the South African government has been compromised by the absence of sufficient resources being committed from the national fiscus for its implementation. It is misleading to assume that new laws and tighter regulations will of themselves serve to deter corrupt practices. One notices a plethora of public administration reforms being initiated to control and prevent corruption in line with international best practice. Yet, as this study concludes, such efforts even at higher fiscal cost will not necessarily contribute to reduced corruption. No attempt should be made to create a situation of a "zero tolerance" level of corruption as this is not possible. Ultimately, the challenge for the South African public sector is to seek ways of rationalising existing resources such that a single agency led by someone with moral authority can be vested with powers to lead the fight against corruption. / Public Administration / (D. Litt. et Phil. (Public Administration)

Corruption, understood as the misuse of public office for private gain, has become a matter of global concern. Numerous measures being taken, not least in South Africa, to contain its spread are increasingly regarded as attempts in "fighting corruption". The South African public sector provides the context for this study where manifestations of corrupt behaviour may be observed and analysed. Particular attention is given to the role, relevance and costs which, as this study shows, must first be calculated in monetary terms as a fiscal end in order for the task of fighting corruption to produce a sustainable impact. The national strategy developed by the South African government has been compromised by the absence of sufficient resources being committed from the national fiscus for its implementation. It is misleading to assume that new laws and tighter regulations will of themselves serve to deter corrupt practices. One notices a plethora of public administration reforms being initiated to control and prevent corruption in line with international best practice. Yet, as this study concludes, such efforts even at higher fiscal cost will not necessarily contribute to reduced corruption. No attempt should be made to create a situation of a "zero tolerance" level of corruption as this is not possible. Ultimately, the challenge for the South African public sector is to seek ways of rationalising existing resources such that a single agency led by someone with moral authority can be vested with powers to lead the fight against corruption. / Public Administration and Management / (D. Litt. et Phil. (Public Administration)

L’obiettivo della ricerca è quello di studiare le contaminazioni tra diversi livelli di governance nel settore dell’anticorruzione. Anzitutto, ci si soffermerà sugli effetti che le convenzioni internazionali e più in generale gli strumenti prodotti nella sfera sovranazionale hanno determinato sul diritto anticorruzione italiano. A ben vedere, questa contaminazione tra diversi livelli di regolazione si realizza non solo attraverso strumenti cogenti ma anche, e soprattutto, attraverso strumenti flessibili come raccomandazioni e linee guida. Il diritto anticorruzione rappresenta un laboratorio di contaminazioni non solo a livello verticale tra sfera sovranazionale e nazionale, ma anche a livello orizzontale. Alla delimitazione del campo della ricerca alle interazioni tra pubblico e privato corrisponde il capitolo II: in esso si dà conto del fatto che, in materia di prevenzione del rischio di corruzione, i confini tra sfera pubblica e sfera privata sono sempre più sfumati. Infine, nel capitolo III, si cerca di trovare un filo conduttore tra le varie forme di contaminazioni regolatorie analizzate, inserendole entro un più ampio ciclo in cui si susseguono regulation e enforcement. Ci si chiede se e in che misura questo ciclo sia effettivamente virtuoso: in particolare, se un processo di law-making improntato ai criteri della flessibilità, della partecipazione dei soggetti interessati e della continua valutazione della sua efficacia, sia effettivamente idoneo a prevenire fenomeni corruttivi. / The aim of the research is to study interaction between different levels of governance in the anti-corruption sector. Firstly, the domestic law, especially in the anti-corruption field is strongly influenced by international instruments. The Italian system, for example, starts out from the Anti-Corruption Law, Law No. 190 (the so called "Severino Law", approved by Parliament on 6 November 2012, entering into force on 28 November 2012, and implemented by several regulations). This Law was adopted to implement the UN Convention against Corruption. Secondly, the research aims to study interaction between public and private sector: fundamental concepts for corruption prevention, such as risk management, have been borrowed from one sector to another. Finally, there many players in the anti-corruption sector who are able to create rules (lawmakers, stakeholders, Authorities): the question is if they are part of a virtuous circle in which regulation and enforcement are closely linked. In order to prevent corruption, the law-making process must be based on specific criteria such as flexibility, stakeholder participation and ongoing evaluation of its effectiveness.