Institutions, corruption and transparency in effective healthcare public procurement: Evidence from Central and Eastern Europe

The benefits of good procurement practices in the healthcare sector are well known. Indeed, the importance of transparent, effective and efficient procurement of medical goods and services has gained momentum even more in light of the recent Covid-19 pandemic. However, there is little evidence of how traditional factors occurring on a procedure or contract level affect the effectiveness of public purchases when they take play in different institutional environments. This paper, therefore, contributes to this evidence using a large sample of public contracts in healthcare sectors awarded in 11 Central and East European Countries. The results support the previous evidence on the important role of transparency and open competitive bidding. Procedures with a prior call for competition and allowing for an unrestricted number of competitors lead to cost-effective contracts and higher direct savings. Effective government and lessening corruption have proven to facilitate better procurement outcomes, considering the financial aspects of awarded contracts. Moreover, the results on the effects of institutions contribute to the current academic debate by providing insight into the mechanism of obtaining cost-effectiveness and showing that strong institutions can play an important role in mitigating the adverse procurement outcomes related to less transparent and competition-restricting procedures.

Media Policies and Practices in Zimbabwe's ‘New Dispensation'

Mnangagwa's ascendancy into the presidency in November 2017 came with significant promise for Zimbabweans who were tired of the long autocratic rule of President Robert Mugabe. Touting itself as the ‘New Dispensation' and Zimbabwe's ‘Second Republic', the new regime promised to lead Zimbabwe into prosperity, underpinned by respect for democratic principles and the rule of law. Significantly, Mnangagwa's regime reached out to the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, promised to restore relations with the international community and declared that Zimbabwe was ‘open for business'. In this chapter, I argue that the Second Republic's declared intentions have not been matched by its actions, with specific reference to the media. Since the general elections in July 2018, Zimbabweans have experienced various forms of repression that have included violent disruption of demonstrations and the brutal and public killing of civilian protestors by the army. This assault on civic spaces and basic liberties has been accompanied by similar efforts targeting opposition political parties and spaces. The new regime has also used different tactics, including co-optation, to control the media and emasculate communicative spaces. I conclude that, under Mnangagwa, there has been more continuity than change from the old media policies and practices of Robert Mugabe. Because of this, the significance of Mnangagwa's formative project should be seriously doubted. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

A Sociotheological Approach to Catholic Social Teaching: The Role of Religion in Moral Responsibility During COVID-19

This book introduces Catholic social teaching (CST) and its teaching on the common good to the reader and applies them in the realm of public health to critically analyze the major global issues of COVID-19 that undermine public interest. It uses the sociotheological approach that combines the moral principles of CST and the holistic analysis of modern sociology and also utilizes the secondary literature as the main source of textual data. Specifically, it investigates the corporate moral irresponsibility and some unethical business practices of Big Pharma in the sale and distribution of its anti-COVID vaccines and medicines, the injustice in the inequitable global vaccine distribution, the weakening of the United States Congress's legislative regulation against the pharmaceutical industry's overpricing and profiteering, the inadequacy of the World Health Organization's (WHO) law enforcement system against corruption, and the lack of social monitoring in the current public health surveillance system to safeguard the public good from corporate fraud and white-collar crime. This book highlights the contribution of sociology in providing the empirical foundation of CST's moral analysis and in crafting appropriate Catholic social action during the pandemic. It is hoped that through this book, secular scholars, social scientists, religious leaders, moral theologians, religious educators, and Catholic lay leaders would be more appreciative of the sociotheological approach to understanding religion and COVID-19. "This book brings into dialogue two bodies of literature: documents of Catholic social teaching, and modern sociology and its core thinkers and texts…The author does especially well to describe how taking ‘the sociotheological turn'…will benefit the credibility and dissemination of Catholic social thought.” - Rev. Fr. Thomas Massaro, S.J., Professor of Moral Theology, Jesuit School of Theology, Santa Clara University, Berkeley, California. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

Covid 19 corruption in the public health sector - Emerging evidence from Bangladesh.

This paper explores the Covid-19-related corruption in Bangladesh. Specifically, we analyse the issue of Covid-19-related corruption in the health sector of Bangladesh. We also explore how denial strategies adapted by government officials have worsened the problem. Using Cohen's (2001) notion of denial strategies, we analyse media reports during the pandemic that highlighted Covid-19-related corruption occurring in the Bangladeshi health sector. Our analyses reveal that the Covid-19 pandemic has given rise to a new wave of corruption, particularly in the procurement of testing kits and personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as the issuance of false COVID-19 certificates. We call for an in-depth investigation of Covid-19-related corruption in Bangladesh and other developing countries that follows similar social, contextual and cultural values via interviews with policymakers and health professionals. Our paper extends the ongoing debate on Covid-19-related corruption and its impacts on the public health sectors.

Three Challenges Facing Guatemala's COVID-19 Crisis: Mobility, Violence and Governance

Guatemala, located at the head of the Northern Triangle of Central America, suffered relatively low levels of contagion compared to more developed Latin American countries. At the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, it imposed a series of strict measures, including closing its borders and imposing a curfew and confinement. Nevertheless, given its longstanding problems-violence, endemic poverty, and rampant corruption, among others-the COVID-19 crisis proved catastrophic for Guatemala. Measures deemed necessary to stem the spread of coronavirus, for instance, worsened an economic downturn by impeding commerce and workflow. Although endemic violence decreased in some areas, it increased in others. Finally, poor levels of government transparency and of the citizenry's trust in government took a turn for the worse. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Lifestyle audits in South Africa – overrated or X-factor?

PurposePresident Cyril Ramaphosa, in his 2018 State of the Nation Address, stated that "Thieves who are stealing public funds should be arrested and prosecuted”, and called for lifestyle audits of public-sector employees. The gross misuse of COVID-19 relief funds by public officials indicated the urgent need to execute these audits as an anti-corruption measure. This paper aims to provide a review of the existing state of affairs with regard to the application of lifestyle audits in South Africa.Design/methodology/approachThis paper critically analyses the literature available on the current position of South Africa concerning lifestyle audits in the public sector, based on the mandates of some of the anti-corruption agencies that could be responsible for the conducting and processing of such audits.FindingsSouth Africa has only recently seen a framework for applying lifestyle audits, developed by the Department of Public Service and Administration. Although these first steps in developing a standard practice are laudable, the practical process of dealing with misconduct and/or criminal matters remains to be seen. It is recommended that South Africa consider a legislative approach to dealing with unlawfully obtained wealth by either criminalising the act of illicit enrichment (per the United Nations Convention Against Corruption) or creating an Unexplained Wealth Order, as seen, for example, in the UK.Originality/valueSouth Africa is in dire need of addressing corruption in the public sector. Despite lifestyle audits being called for, the lack of proper implementation is negating any positive outcomes. Therefore, alternative solutions should be investigated.

Measuring global pandemic governance: how countries respond to COVID-19

Covid-19 is an unprecedented crisis that faces the majority of governments around the world. The pandemic has resulted in substantial changes to government work cultures, financial management, and the implementation of good governance. The paper has shown how these governments react to the crisis caused by Covid-19. We analyse strategy, policy, and financial management when facing Covid-19 and give a result that will contribute to the development of crisis governance field. In this article, we argue that the most successful action in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in high income, upper-middle income, and lower-middle income countries is guided by the implementation of good governance principles. Data used in this research was obtained from the World Health Organization and the World Bank. The results indicate that countries that have been able to manage the COVID-19 pandemic have good governance indicators, such as voice and accountability, political stability and absence of violence/terrorism, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law, and control of corruption.

COVID-19 Policy in Uzbekistan: Slipping Back Toward Authoritarianism?

Since the death of Islom Karimov in September 2016, the government of Uzbekistan has witnessed almost 4 years of slow but steady political reform. President Shavkat Mirzayoyev initiated restructuring in the law enforcement agencies, intelligence service and military, all that moved the country away from the police state that Karimov constructed in his 25-year reign. In particular, Mirzayoyev restricted the power of the criminal police and the traffic police, the latter a particularly despised organization because of their corruption and abuse of power. Beginning in March 2020, the Uzbek government began extending the powers of law enforcement, including reopening the interregional traffic police checkpoints which had been closed in 2017. The country implemented a strict quarantine, confining people to their homes except for trips for food, medical treatment and a handful of other "essential” activities. Other authoritarian measures, with little if any connection to controlling the spread of infection, have also been imposed in the political, religious and media spheres. This chapter explores the political changes COVID-19 has wrought in Uzbekistan, especially in the context of ongoing reforms directed toward fighting corruption and increasing political freedom. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

UNEMPLOYMENT BEHAVIOUR IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: EVIDENCE FROM DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

This paper explores the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, corruption and other determinants on unemployment in developing countries using panel dataset for 89 developing countries from January to December 2020. The proposed unemployment model is estimated utilising a newly formulated conceptual framework to examine whether COVID-19 pandemic, corruption, and human capital, play a moderating role on unemployment determination in our selected developing countries. The model is estimated using the dynamic panel system generalised method of moments (GMM) estimator. Apart from output, inflation and human capital, our results show that the COVID-19 pandemic and corruption are major variables in explaining the unemployment rate for our sampled countries. Furthermore, and more notably, we find evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic and corruption appear to significantly restrain and alter the role of outputs and human capital in impacting unemployment. Therefore, the detrimental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and corruption on the economies and labour markets of countries examined should not be under-estimated. Additionally, findings show that, while policy initiatives to combat the COVID-19 pandemic are critical, strengthening anti-corruption regulations would further improve the efficiency of any attempt to reduce unemployment rates associated with the COVID-19 period. © 2023, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. All rights reserved.

THREATS TO DEMOCRACY: CAN IT BE SUSTAINED, AND WHAT MIGHT REPLACE IT?

Democracy has increasingly come under pressure as democratic norms are being eroded. This article explores why democratic processes are at risk in Europe and the United States and what might replace them. It reflects the thinking of the Study Group on Democracy convened under the auspices of the International Association for Intelligence Education in 2022. Its deliberations identified a set of underlying key drivers, documented how they manifested, and speculated on what new forms of governance might replace democratic rule. Recent trends cited include the corruption of norms, the disruptive influence of social media, the growing diversity of society, the shift from community-based problem-solving to reliance on identity politics, the emergence of existential threats, and the need for strong leadership. The group concludes that prospects for sustaining democratic institutions can best be understood by viewing future trends along two perspectives: the complexity of society and modes of decision-making.

Explore the Potential for Tourist Scams in Indonesia

This study aims to explore the potential for tourist scams that have occurred in the tourism industry. This research uses a bibliometric system. The data source comes from Scopus and SINTA indexed papers. The number of documents used is 110 papers. Based on the results of the study shows that there are 28 tourist scam schemes. Of the 28 schemes, price scams are the most common schemes in 48 papers. Other methods, such as corruption (38 documents), service scams (34 articles), fake products/souvenirs (23 articles), and food scams (30 papers). Meanwhile, in Indonesia, there were 17 tourist scam schemes found.

Democracy in the Indonesian Digital Public Sphere: Social Network Analysis of Twitter Users' Responses to the Issue of Nationalism Knowledge Test at the Corruption Eradication Commission (TWK-KPK)

The mobility restriction during the COVID-19 pandemic did not stop the public from expressing their opinions. Since they could not go on demonstrations, they moved democracy to the digital sphere, such as on Twitter. Previous research has shown that Twitter users in Indonesia use the platform to express political views and opinions on governmental issues. The issue of the Nationalism Knowledge Test (TWK) at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) was a trending topic on Twitter for a while. The issue spurred discussions on Twitter when 75 employees did not pass the KPK-TWK on May 2021. The discussion then stopped for a moment before picking up again during the official dismissal of the employees on 30 September 2021. This article focuses on the social network analysis of the public's responses to this issue on Twitter. Social network data were collected using Drone Emprit from May to October 2021 and analyzed using Gephi to generate graphical representations of the social networks. The results reveal the structure of the movement was centralized and dynamic. Regarding the dissemination of information, the most central was news media and anti-corruption activists' accounts. These accounts mobilized the community on Twitter to make a critical social movement. This means that the digital sphere can be an evolution of democracy form and activism, especially in the anti-corruption movement. © 2022 Rev. Archai. All rights reserved.

Government response to COVID-19 vaccination in Nigeria: identifying key issues over rollout from a public perspective

There are concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine's safety, reliability, and efficacy. Previous studies on vaccine hesitancy focused on public perception and factors influencing behavior but little is known about how government response affects acceptance and distribution efforts. Consequently, the present study is focused on providing answers to the question regarding the challenges induced by the Nigerian governments' response to the COVID-19 vaccine distribution and acceptance process. Utilizing an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), Findings showed that even though there are strategies designed to ensure effective rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines to the target populations, the plans are not well laid out. Corruption risks and facility deficiency are the likely problems that might affect efficient COVID-19 vaccine equitable distribution to the target groups. The findings' practical implications indicate that the Nigerian government and other stakeholders ought to make improvements in a number of areas to enable a successful and equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. This entails enhancing the online registration process, enhancing communication techniques, tackling corruption threats, assuring a steady supply of electricity, and providing employees with the necessary tools and training. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of African Identities is the property of Routledge 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 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 . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Is Democracy Lost?

President Kais Saied's de facto dissolution of parliament in July 2021, abandonment of the constitution, and targeting of the opposition are clear signs that Tunisia is no longer a democracy and has returned to the authoritarian playbook of Arab leaders past and present. I see three main reasons for this abrupt end to Tunisia's decade-old democracy: 1) the failure to accompany political reform with socioeconomic gains for citizens;2) the subsequent rise of populism;and 3) the mistakes of the Islamic party. To move forward in Tunisia and the Arab world more broadly, prodemocratic forces must link freedom, development, and social justice.

Institutional Quality and Education Quality in Developing Countries: Effects and Transmission Channels

The main objective of this study is to analyze the effect of institutional quality on education quality in developing countries. The literature review explores the channels through which institutional quality transits to affect education quality. The empirical analyses cover a sample of 82 developing countries. The main results obtained using ordinary least squares and two-stage least squares estimators show that institutional quality has a positive effect on student achievement and school completion, and a negative effect on educational failure. Concerning the role of transmission channels, the results show that a deterioration in institutional quality, characterized in particular by the presence of corruption, political instability, or the deterioration of government effectiveness, reduces the effectiveness of public spending on education and the quality of teaching through unethical behavior of teachers and the recruitment of untrained or less trained persons to carry out teaching tasks.

COVID-19 and Citizen Perception about Government

This paper shows the results of an empirical study, with data from 77 countries, about correlation between the COVID-19 pandemic and citizen perception about government in three specific fields: trust in its institutions, level of corruption, and democracy. With data from World Values Survey and World Health Organization, the study find that pandemic is less bad in those societies with high level of confidence in government, less corruption, and a more democratic political regime.

A Cracked Public Administration in Peru: How "Vacunagate" Has Shaken the Foundations of an Already Damaged Society

While crises are ubiquitous in Latin America, due to its geographical characteristics as well as its turbulent business environment, countries such as Peru have also extreme rates of corruption and deep institutional weakness. These factors, taken together, undermine any attempt of national governments or society's collective efforts towards achieving sustainability. This paper aims to analyze the "Vacunagate" scandal that occurred in Peru during the first negotiations of the vaccination process against COVID-19, using a case study method, and focusing our discussion from the Agency Theory as well as from leadership and institutional perspectives. The results of the analysis emphasize how the "Vacunagate" event generated relevant constraints towards the achievement of the SDG 16, and its specific targets related to provide justice for all, deal with organized crime, reduce corruption, and create accountable institutions. In addition, the study provides insights and implications for organizations in Peru that would have to operate under a turbulent business environment, considering a business-as-usual corruption and a weak institutional context.

Organized Crime

The face of organized crime is continually changing, yet its foundation has remained the same over many years. One of the distinguishing features of organized crime is in the challenge to clearly define it, which impacts on the implementation of transnational prevention and control policies. Although organized crime is as much disorganized as it is organized, it does feature specific characteristics. In order to understand organized crime, it must be viewed as a social process and a community social institution. Organized crime is, in its nature, highly adaptable to opportunities that major incidents, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, bring. © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Developing a laundered funds destination theory: applying the Walker–Unger gravity model to US-based money launderer country preference from 2000 to 2020

PurposeAlthough economists and academics have studied money laundering for several decades, there continues to be gaps in the research due to a lack of reliable data on money laundering activity, and a lack of detailed sources and methods of collection in government-based reporting. The purpose of this study is to apply the Walker-Unger gravity model and examine US-based money launderer preference for the 2000-2020 time frame. This paper then compares those results with previous applications of the model and identifies trends, which may serve as the foundations of a money launderer preference theory. The results of the investigation ranked countries by preference of US-based money launderers and determined that there was consistency in country destination preference even during recessionary periods.Design/methodology/approachThe Walker–Unger gravity model as applied by Roman et al. (2021) is used to conduct the investigation, to maintain consistency in the application of the Walker–Unger model and further the objective of validating the attractiveness simulation. The model tests the predictive capability of the independent variables to establish the degree of attractiveness each country represents for the funds of US-based money launderers. A score is generated by the model, which is then used to analyze and interpret its significance in relation to all sampled countries.FindingsModel results reveal the countries with the highest attractiveness for US-based money launderers during 2000–2020 were Australia, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Cayman Islands, Norway, Monaco, Puerto Rico, Switzerland and the USA. Model results show that over the two decades the proportion of money flow scores changed but not to a degree that would alter the country preference of US-based money launderers. US-based money launderers tended to use the same countries for their illicit financial activities, regardless of the state of the legitimate economy.Research limitations/implicationsOne of the limitations of the model is that it does not show the effect of money laundering on legitimate economic activity.Practical implicationsThe model results will give insight into the preferred destination of US-based money launderers and therefore frame one component of money laundering activities in the USA for the examined time period.Social implicationsA secondary objective of this study is to evaluate if any changes to US-based money launderer preferences occurred during the three most recent periods of economic downturn in the USA.Originality/valueThe model results will give insight into the preferred destination of US-based money launderers and therefore frame one component of money laundering activities in the USA for the examined time period. A secondary objective of this study is to evaluate if any changes to US-based money launderer preferences occurred during the three most recent periods of economic downturn in the USA. The periods chosen are the 2001 9/11 terrorist attacks, the 2007/08 global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The impact of corruption on victim teachers during promotion processes in South Africa's basic education system

South African teachers are faced with corruption during teacher promotion processes, and this remains unabated. This qualitative paper used three purposively selected case studies of victim teachers to investigate the impact of this corruption on victim teachers. The paper used the Crisis Intervention Theory to underpin the theoretical framework for the analysis. Key informant interviews (Kils) were administered on a senior union member to solicit crucial data while the primary participants (n=3) were interviewed on face-to-face approach to collect data. Relevant literature was also used to provide supportive and corroborative scientific propositions. The paper discovered that corruption during teacher promotion processes in the South African Basic Education sector was reality. However, in some instances, such claims could not be backed by sustainable evidence. Victim teachers have suffered traumatic experiences resulting in stress, health challenges, relational challenges with colleagues and resignations. The department did not assist victim teachers needing emergency counselling and psychological rehabilitation to cope with the emanating pressure. It is recommended that authorities punish perpetrators of corruption. Victim teachers need to be assisted through professional resolving of their grievances and therapeutical intervention.