Defying institutional failure: learning from the experiences of anti-corruption agencies in four Asian countries

This article compares the effectiveness of the anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) in four Asian countries: the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) in Singapore, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in Hong Kong, the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) in Thailand, and the Korea Independent Commission Against Corruption (KICAC). The CPIB and ICAC are more effective than the NCCC and KICAC because of the political will of the governments in Singapore and Hong Kong and the more favourable policy contexts of these two city-states. The lack of political will in curbing corruption in Thailand and South Korea is reflected in the fact that the NCCC and KICAC are not as well staffed or funded than the CPIB and ICAC. Moreover, the KICAC is the weakest of the four ACAs as it does not have the power to investigate corruption cases. The policy contexts of Thailand and South Korea are less favourable because of their larger populations and land area, and lower GDP per capita. To avoid institutional failure, ACAs must be supported by their governments in terms of the provision of adequate personnel and budget. They must also be able to investigate all cases of corruption without any political interference. The example of the KICAC shows the futility of establishing an ACA without the ability to investigate corruption cases.     

Health care and the labor market: learning from the German experience

Many observers have begun to question the U.S. reliance on an employment-based private health insurance system. In thinking about the future of this system, it is instructive to examine the German experience. The German health insurance system is almost entirely organized and financed around the labor market. In recent years, the German labor market has changed in several ways. Among other changes, more German women now work, the proportion of retirees in the population has increased, the share of manufacturing in employment has declined, and the economy has become more open. These labor market changes have made it more difficult to organize health insurance around employment in Germany. Recent changes in the German health insurance system have, to some extent, decoupled health insurance from employment. This decoupling is likely to continue as the labor market changes further. We explore the implications of this experience for the United States.     

From global problems to international norms: what does the social construction of a global corruption problem tell us about the emergence of an international anti-corruption norm

This article examines the ontological contestation that is inherent to the emergence of an international anti-corruption norm. First, the article briefly analyses the compatibility of an agenda on the social construction of problems from sociology and the well-established study of norms in constructivist IR. It argues that an analytical shift from the study of norms to the social construction of problems can shed light on the power relations that underlie international norms, and corruption in particular. The article traces the emergence of a global corruption problem up to the early 2000s when scholars have traditionally placed the establishment of an international anti-corruption norm. It first shows the contestation of corruption as a global issue on the level of problem definition, and then, it shows the role of venue shopping and venue shifting in the diffusion of anti-corruption talks and the norm cascade of the 1990s. The article concludes with an analysis of how the social construction of problems challenges the conventional approach of the emergence of an international anti-corruption norm.     

Serial killers with military experience: applying learning theory to serial murder

Scholars have endeavored to study the motivation and causality behind serial murder by researching biological, psychological, and sociological variables. Some of these studies have provided support for the relationship between these variables and serial murder. However, the study of serial murder continues to be an exploratory rather than explanatory research topic. This article examines the possible link between serial killers and military service. Citing previous research using social learning theory for the study of murder, this article explores how potential serial killers learn to reinforce violence, aggression, and murder in military boot camps. As with other variables considered in serial killer research, military experience alone cannot account for all cases of serial murder. Future research should continue to examine this possible link.     

On the dark side of the code: organizational challenges to an effective anti-corruption strategy

Corporations have been fighting for decades to eliminate corruption. However, despite the proliferation of compliance programs and a recurrent surge of interest in business ethics, commercial bribery prevails as a “rational choice strategy” for economic success and thus is widely regarded as the result of immoral choices of greedy individuals. This article reports on a modus operandi study concerning corruption within a large industrial corporation (Siemens AG). Results highlight the fact that neither consistent anti-corruption norms nor severe formal sanctions were able to deter certain employees from deviant behavior in this landmark case of structural corruption. Sociologists and business economists have both pointed to the organizational culture that provides an explanation for this paradox. The author compares three diverging hypotheses: (1) private gain, (2) cognitive normalization, and (3) organizational cultures, and concludes that the structural causes of corrupt practices fit the definition of ‘useful illegality’ (Luhmann). To a large extent, this old sociological concept resembles the criminological idea of corporate crime, but it emphasizes the cultural factors that undermine management’s preventive strategies, and thus holds the promise of theoretical progress. Implications that emerge from the case analysis for the social control of corporate bribe payers are discussed. The discussion reveals why challenges to successful anti-corruption efforts persist at the organizational level.     

Risk,response, and mental health policy: learning from the experience of the United Kingdom

Policy makers in the United States and the United Kingdom recognize that mentally disordered offenders present special challenges to law enforcement, mental health, and social service systems, as well as the community. Although various policy initiatives have advanced over the past twenty years to improve the management of mentally disordered offenders, mental health policy has chronically failed in both countries. Because safety concerns have emerged as the mental health system has been "deinstitutionalized," debate is growing about whether the community-care approach works-for the community. This study argues that mental health policy fails because policy makers focus on the wrong risks and design policies that manage these risks in ways that increase the possibility of adverse clinical and economic outcomes. The argument made here uses the case of persons with severe mental illness in the United Kingdom as an example of the complex relationship between risk and policy making in democratic governance. Emphasis is on the nature of risk in mental health policy and how government responds to policy and political risks. Mental health policy in Britain is then analyzed in terms of its response to and management of risks. Mental health policy has historically mismanaged the risk issue in the United Kingdom and as such has set in motion the growing community-care backlash. The path to a better outcome lies in the responsible management of the right risks. Lessons from the United Kingdom experience can be usefully applied to mental health issues in many industrial democracies.     

The limitations of neoliberal logic in the anti-corruption industry: Lessons from Papua New Guinea

To acknowledge concerns about the rising power of the private sector, key international anti-corruption organisations have supported initiatives that emphasise the role that businesses play in corruption. Yet the way these initiatives have impacted the practices and perceptions of anti-corruption organisations in developing countries has received scant attention. As businesses can be key perpetrators of corruption, understanding the way anti-corruption organisations respond to the private sector can highlight the efficacy of anti-corruption efforts. Drawing on interviews with anti-corruption policy makers in Papua New Guinea (PNG) conducted between 2008 and 2009, this article shows how two international anti-corruption organisations perceived and worked with the private sector. It finds that there have been some initiatives designed to address, and raise awareness about private sector corruption in the country, reflecting international trends. At the same time the private sector is viewed, often uncritically, as an anti-corruption champion; this has affected the way anti-corruption organisations engage with businesses operating in the country. This article argues that despite a change in international discourse about the private sector’s role in corruption, in developing countries like PNG, neoliberal logic about the nature of the state still guide anti-corruption activity. These findings have implications for the efficacy of international anti-corruption efforts.     

Drilling down to the detail: A case study into anti-corruption project records and record-keeping

This article complements one written in2001 for Crime, Law and Social Changethat underlined the importance of recordsand record-keeping in developing countriesin combating corruption and promotingparticipation. This article addresses thesame theme as the basis on which twodevelopments intended to promote moreefficient and effective anti-corruptionfunding could be assessed. These concern:the value of donors coordinating andcooperating over donor funding (byinstitution and country) and theidentification of particular expertise ofspecific donors to diversify the range ofcomplementary strengths (the comparativeadvantage approach). To do that, effectiveevaluation of past projects is necessary –and is in itself dependant on the quality,accessibility and usability of the recordsheld. The article uses the case-study ofcorruption prevention projects fundedbetween 1995–1999 by the EuropeanUnion to consider the importance of records andrecord-keeping to the evaluation processand thus to any assessment and developmentof coordinated funding and the comparativeadvantage approach.     

Human trafficking in the Philippines: the need for an effective anti-corruption program

An estimated three million Filipinos are at high-risk of being trafficked at any given time, representing 3.1% of the total Philippine population. The paper illustrates that corruption is a central issue in facilitating and continuing human trafficking in the Philippines. It demonstrates that if human trafficking is to be significantly reduced, then corruption must be curbed. The paper consists of three main sections. The first section is an overview of the trafficking problem in the Philippines. It discusses the scope of the problem such as the recruiters and traffickers, tactics used by the recruiters, and current transport routes and methods. The second section discusses current tactics being implemented by the government, non-government organizations (NGOs), and the international community to restrict human trafficking in the Philippines. It also illustrates that government corruption prevents the current tactics from being implemented well and in order to combat government corruption one must begin at the municipal level. The third section presents the inner workings of government and corruption at the municipal level, shows how the corruption reduces economic opportunities and legal equality for the citizenry, and how the loss of those opportunities and equality encourages migration from home municipalities—thereby encouraging human trafficking.     

Statistical analysis tools of mixture DNA samples: When the same software provides different results

The high complexity of the genetic analysis of crime scene samples is mainly related to the unknown number of contributors, low DNA quantity and quality, and associated stochastic effects. The difficulty and subjectivity of interpreting casework samples was the motto for the development of software to mitigate these conditions and allow the quantification of the genetic evidence. Currently, there are several tools for statistical analysis of mixture samples based on either qualitative or quantitative models. The first considers the electropherograms’ qualitative information, while the latter also considers the associated quantitative information. This work’s main goal was to evaluate the effect that parameters’ settings variation may have on the LR computation, specifically the drop-in frequency parameter. For that, a qualitative – LRmix Studio – and two quantitative software – STRmix™ and EuroForMix – were considered and an intra-software analysis was performed, using as input real casework samples. The drop-in frequency variation showed an impact, leading to differences higher than four units (log₁₀ scale) for some pairs of samples. In addition, for some cases, no comparisons were performed either because the tool computed a null LR value or displayed an error message. Thus, this work reinforces the importance of proper parameters’ modeling and estimation in forensic casework evaluation.     

When health policy is the problem: a report from the field

We often think of health policy and health services research as offering solutions to cost, quality, and access problems. Many of us see health policy as simply ineffective. But any activity that has the power to cure can also do harm. Is it possible that the health policy enterprise has contributed to the very problems it has been attempting to eliminate? We argue that it has. Reasonable assumptions have led to a series of solutions that have provided political cover for those vested in the status quo. This process is nonpartisan, with those of us on the left and the right unintentionally and inadvertently contributing to the problems we are so committed to solving.     

The use of a virtual learning environment: The Hong Kong experience

This paper argues for the teaching of ethics in financial services law through blended learning comprising face-to-face and online case studies. It draws on the insights of previous blended teaching in business management and corporate law to provide the justifications for its application in the teaching of ethics in financial services law. The measured success for the use of blended teaching in prior situations, the limitations of existing teaching through the conventional lecture method and the coming through of students increasingly exposed to active-based learning via information communications technology further justifies its application in financial law courses. The paper addresses the why, what and how issues in connection with the teaching of ethics in financial services law. It advocates strongly why teaching of ethics should cover hard and soft laws and even beyond to incorporate the relationships at play in the marketplace to provide more balanced and practical insights for law students. Though the article relies primarily on secondary data, it generated significant implications for the teaching of ethics in financial services law through a pervasive approach in contrast to stand-alone legal ethics courses.     

反贪查案领域发案态势之分析及对策思考

发案态势是指对反贪查案工作实践的总结和分析,综合经济、社会等各方面因素,对发案领域的状态和形势所做出的具有现实性和一定前瞻性的分析和判断,并用于指导实践工作。 反贪查案工作是人民检察院的一项专有职权,是同贪污、贿赂等职务犯罪做斗争的重要工作,其目的是通过侦查破案和对犯罪嫌疑人的审讯,揭露和制止犯罪嫌疑人的破坏活动,保卫社会主义现代化建设的顺利进行。随着我国改革开放的不断深入和经济的日益发展,法律所规定的查案领域和范围也在不断地发生变化,尤其在新的《刑法》、《刑事诉讼法》修订实施以来,对反贪查案工作提出了更高的标准和要求,因此,深入     

STR data for the SGM Plus loci from three Indonesian populations.

Allele frequencies for the 10 STRs included in the AmpFLSTR SGM Plus (Applied Biosytems) amplification kit were obtained from three populations in the Indonesian archipelago. Here, 173 unrelated Indonesian individuals were sampled, of which 44 were from the Island of Sulawesi, 44 from Sumatra and 85 from Java.