Integrity Reform in Developing Countries (original) (raw)

A National Integrity System Assessment of Georgia

2013, 2012

This paper reports on a two-year project examining the National Integrity System of Georgia in the Caucasus (GNISA). The GNISA research project used methodology developed for the earlier national integrity study of Australia and adapted this for Georgia. The research involved conducting 83 interviews with key institutions in Georgia, supported by a range of focus groups and workshops. The findings report on the capacity, coherence and consequences of Georgia's existing integrity system. The findings present a summary of 26 recommendations to the Georgian Government to enhance integrity reform in the country and make suggestions regarding implementation strategies to achieve these reforms. Within the context of a growing interest in areas such as public integrity, public sector ethics, social responsibility and sustainability, this research identifies and highlights an important contribution to new knowledge, as well as explaining the methods to achieve similar outcomes in other ...

Working Paper 4: An evaluation of national integrity systems from a human rights perspective

Basel Institute on Governance Working Papers, 2007

In the past decade the prevention of corruption has been recognised as a prerequisite for sustainable and equitable development. Academics, policy-makers and activists working towards such governance reforms have come a long way in the relatively short period since corruption has been actively addressed both in the North and the South. However, corruption remains a serious problem in many societies, sectors and international transactions, affecting the lives of millions of people who go about their daily business. Transparency International, an international non-governmental organisation against corruption, was one of the first and certainly the most influential NGO to break the spell and speak out against corruption worldwide. In order to support and inform its policy approaches, Transparency International framed an approach called the National Integrity System to better understand the interdependent causes of corruption and to address them more effectively. Strikingly, however, th...

THE STRATEGIC PLACE AND ROLE OF INTEGRITY AMONG GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLES AND VALUES OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Redefining Community in Intercultural Context - International Conference RCIC'19, 2019

One of the capstone concepts within NATO nowadays is integrity. Along with accountability and transparency it plays a major role in driving reform in the defense sector. However, these principles characteristic of (good) governance are not the only ones employed in reviewing and transforming public administration in democratic countries. Consequently, the goal of this article is to overview the governance framework as described by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the European Union, the World Bank (WB) and NATO in order to identify the place and role of integrity among the key principles and values that drive the development and strengthening of democracy in the public realm in developing countries. Based on the findings, the article proposes a framework that allows building integrity initiatives to be approached from a strategic perspective.

The role of a national integrity system in fighting corruption 1

Commonwealth Law Bulletin, 1997

The issue of corruption has come to center stage. The economic consequences of pervasive corruption, and recent trends toward democratization, have increased the pressure for accountability and transparency from those in public office. This paper does not suggest that there are any easy solutions or models that can be applied in the fight against corruption; nor does it suggest that any country has yet designed an ideal model, or indeed, that such an ideal model exists. What this paper does argue is that while each country or region is unique in its own history and culture, its political systems, and its stage of economic and social development, similarities do exist and that experience and lessons are often transferable. A "national integrity system" is proposed as a comprehensive method of fighting corruption. It comprises eight pillars (public awareness, public anti-corruption strategies, public participation, "watchdog" agencies, the judiciary, the media, the private sector, and international cooperation) which are interdependent. Establishing and strengthening such an integrity system requires identifying opportunities for reinforcing and utilizing each of these pillars in the fight against corruption.

The role of a national integrity system in fighting corruption

Commonwealth Law Bulletin, 1997

The issue of corruption has come to center stage. The economic consequences of pervasive corruption, and recent trends toward democratization, have increased the pressure for accountability and transparency from those in public office. This paper does not suggest that there are any easy solutions or models that can be applied in the fight against corruption; nor does it suggest that any country has yet designed an ideal model, or indeed, that such an ideal model exists. What this paper does argue is that while each country or region is unique in its own history and culture, its political systems, and its stage of economic and social development, similarities do exist and that experience and lessons are often transferable. A "national integrity system" is proposed as a comprehensive method of fighting corruption. It comprises eight pillars (public awareness, public anti-corruption strategies, public participation, "watchdog" agencies, the judiciary, the media, the private sector, and international cooperation) which are interdependent. Establishing and strengthening such an integrity system requires identifying opportunities for reinforcing and utilizing each of these pillars in the fight against corruption.

Integrity and Integrity Management in Public Life

2017

1. Integrity in public life is an essential component in establishing trust between citizens and their governments. However, over recent decades there has been increasing concern worldwide that standards of integrity are in decline. In part, that concern reflects a parallel focus on corruption as a core threat to good governance. The two concepts-corruption and integrity-are thus often understood as two sides of the same coin, an increase in one leading to a decline in the other. 2. In practice, much of the attention devoted to integrity has been largely implicit: rather than exploring in depth what should be understood by integrity in public life, and how to achieve it, researchers, activists and policy-makers have too often seemed to assume that integrity will result from the elimination of corruption. Their focus has therefore overwhelmingly been on tackling corruption, rather than on promoting integrity. 3. To focus primarily on corruption inevitably places emphasis on the negative behaviours we are seeking to prevent as opposed to the positive behaviours we wish to encourage. Integrity means more than just 'not corrupt', and involves doing the right thing in the right way. 4. Lack of clarity about what integrity is has hindered attempts to promote it. In particular, the relationship between personal integrity and role-based integrity, as well as between integrity at the individual or at the institutional level, has resulted in confusion about the how the concept can be translated into practical action. 5. Integrity thus entails complex relationships with other dimensions, and can be analysed from various perspectives. For the purpose of developing an approach to integrity management (that is, the formal framework to ensure ethical behaviour by public officials), the report distinguishes core characteristics of personal and political integrity. The former entails: wholeness (thinking beyond just the personal); action that is consistent with principles (doing the right things); morality (doing things for the right reasons); and process (doing things in the right way). The latter encompasses: normative justice; openness and transparency; citizen engagement; and impartial authorities. 6. Predominant anti-corruption approaches respond to a logic that does not sit easily with the promotion of integrity. The reason is that policies designed to combat corruption are usually developed as a reaction or response to particular scandals, or else are designed to prevent specific behaviours. They are driven by an attempt to address the visible expression of corruption, focusing primarily on institutional configurations or regulatory frameworks, rather than the promotion of a pro-integrity mind-set amongst public officials. 7. The report therefore addresses the issue of integrity management, focusing on what the OECD (2009) has referred to as an implementation deficit, as well as on the relationship between compliance-based and values-based approaches to ensuring high standards in public administration. The reports pays particular attention to the issues of culture and leadership in promoting appropriate models of integrity. 8. The report is informed by fieldwork that was undertaken in Bolivia and Rwanda, as well as by desk-based research on relevant primary and secondary sources.