http://www.u4.no/ An Informed Approach to Anti-Corruption http://www.u4.no/themes/u4/images/u4/logo-og.png http://www.u4.no/ http://www.u4.no/publications/fondo-anti-corrupcion-en-nicaragua/ <p>Este documento analiza los logros y los fallos del Fondo Anti-Corrupción (FAC), un programa de la cooperación internacional en Nicaragua, liderado por Noruega en implementación en sociedad con el gobierno nacional. El FAC, ejecutado desde el año 2002, ha tenido objetivos ambiciosos: disminuir la corrupción y promover la integridad y la transparencia en el sector público y en la ciudadanía, para lograr una mayor gobernabilidad y crecimiento económico en el país. Los éxitos del Fondo hasta el momento han sido suficientes para mantener los actores locales interesados en su continuación. Sin embargo, la revocación, en 2009, de la sentencia de Arnoldo Alemán, ex-presidente del país acusado de diferentes actos de corrupción, ha significado un golpe no solo para la sociedad nicaragüense como también para el FAC, que empieza ahora un proceso de diseño de su proxima fase.</p> Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.u4.no/publications/fondo-anti-corrupcion-en-nicaragua/ Este documento analiza los logros y los fallos del Fondo Anti-Corrupción (FAC), un programa de la cooperación internacional en Nicaragua, liderado por Noruega en implementación en sociedad con el gobierno nacional. El FAC, ejecutado desde el año 2002, ha tenido objetivos ambiciosos: disminuir la corrupción y promover la integridad y la transparencia en el sector público y en la ciudadanía, para lograr una mayor gobernabilidad y crecimiento económico en el país. Los éxitos del Fondo hasta el momento han sido suficientes para mantener los actores locales interesados en su continuación. Sin embargo, la revocación, en 2009, de la sentencia de Arnoldo Alemán, ex-presidente del país acusado de diferentes actos de corrupción, ha significado un golpe no solo para la sociedad nicaragüense como también para el FAC, que empieza ahora un proceso de diseño de su proxima fase.

]]> EN http://www.u4.no/publications/the-accumulation-of-unexplained-wealth-by-public-officials-making-the-offence-of-illicit-enrichment-enforceable/ <p>Recent high-profile cases have focused attention on the transfer of assets abroad by heads of state and other senior officials from developing countries in amounts that far exceed their legitimate sources of income. Article 20 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, criminalizing illicit enrichment, was drafted to address this issue. However, very few of the states parties to the UNCAC have introduced this offence in their legal systems, largely because of due process concerns. The challenge is to find ways to implement Article 20 that balance the rights of the accused with the right of society to recover illicitly acquired national wealth.</p> Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.u4.no/publications/the-accumulation-of-unexplained-wealth-by-public-officials-making-the-offence-of-illicit-enrichment-enforceable/ Recent high-profile cases have focused attention on the transfer of assets abroad by heads of state and other senior officials from developing countries in amounts that far exceed their legitimate sources of income. Article 20 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, criminalizing illicit enrichment, was drafted to address this issue. However, very few of the states parties to the UNCAC have introduced this offence in their legal systems, largely because of due process concerns. The challenge is to find ways to implement Article 20 that balance the rights of the accused with the right of society to recover illicitly acquired national wealth.

]]> EN http://www.u4.no/publications/monitoring-public-institutions-integrity-plans/ <p>Monitoring integrity requires a conceptual framework that defines integrity as well as set clear objectives, targets and SMART performance indicators by which progress can be measured. The OECD has developed a comprehensive integrity assessment framework, which aims at: 1) collecting valid and reliable data on the existence and functioning of the key instruments, processes and actors in place for defining integrity, guiding integrity, and monitoring and enforcing compliance and; 2) comparing them with benchmarks compiled across comparable government institutions.</p> Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.u4.no/publications/monitoring-public-institutions-integrity-plans/ Monitoring integrity requires a conceptual framework that defines integrity as well as set clear objectives, targets and SMART performance indicators by which progress can be measured. The OECD has developed a comprehensive integrity assessment framework, which aims at: 1) collecting valid and reliable data on the existence and functioning of the key instruments, processes and actors in place for defining integrity, guiding integrity, and monitoring and enforcing compliance and; 2) comparing them with benchmarks compiled across comparable government institutions.

]]> EN http://www.u4.no/publications/sequencing-of-law-enforcement-interventions-to-combat-corruption/ <p>Donor-supported approaches to address corruption have tended to focus on measures that support effective law enforcement in a country that are strategically sequenced. In many cases, independent oversight bodies and mechanisms, including anti-corruption commissions (ACCs), have formed a key part of the changes. ACCs have been seen as important actors in ensuring laws are upheld and cases are prosecuted.For ACCs, the challenge is that they must work within the system that they were set up to oversee. While they may be able to investigate and sanction corruption, they may not be preventing the underlying problem. This is related to the concern that governments must create a supportive context for anti-corruption enforcement.</p> Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.u4.no/publications/sequencing-of-law-enforcement-interventions-to-combat-corruption/ Donor-supported approaches to address corruption have tended to focus on measures that support effective law enforcement in a country that are strategically sequenced. In many cases, independent oversight bodies and mechanisms, including anti-corruption commissions (ACCs), have formed a key part of the changes. ACCs have been seen as important actors in ensuring laws are upheld and cases are prosecuted.For ACCs, the challenge is that they must work within the system that they were set up to oversee. While they may be able to investigate and sanction corruption, they may not be preventing the underlying problem. This is related to the concern that governments must create a supportive context for anti-corruption enforcement.

]]> EN http://www.u4.no/publications-2-fr-FR/la-corruption-dans-le-secteur-de-la-sante-methodes-d-apprentissage-et-d-enseignement-2/ <p>Les programmes de formation et d’éducation qui traitent du thème de la corruption et de la santé peuvent contribuer à changer la manière dont les administrateurs publics et le personnel des agences de développement abordent leur travail, ainsi qu’ à améliorer la transparence et la redevabilité. Cette note de synthèse U4 présente brièvement les expériences et les méthodes qui existent pour former les professionnels de la santé publique – débutants ou expérimentés – ainsi que les praticiens des organismes donateurs, à l’analyse des problèmes de corruption dans le secteur de la santé et l’élaboration de stratégies pour y remédier.</p> Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.u4.no/publications-2-fr-FR/la-corruption-dans-le-secteur-de-la-sante-methodes-d-apprentissage-et-d-enseignement-2/ Les programmes de formation et d’éducation qui traitent du thème de la corruption et de la santé peuvent contribuer à changer la manière dont les administrateurs publics et le personnel des agences de développement abordent leur travail, ainsi qu’ à améliorer la transparence et la redevabilité. Cette note de synthèse U4 présente brièvement les expériences et les méthodes qui existent pour former les professionnels de la santé publique – débutants ou expérimentés – ainsi que les praticiens des organismes donateurs, à l’analyse des problèmes de corruption dans le secteur de la santé et l’élaboration de stratégies pour y remédier.

]]> FR http://www.u4.no/publications-2-fr-FR/la-corruption-dans-le-secteur-de-la-sante-methodes-d-apprentissage-et-d-enseignement/ <p>Les programmes de formation et d’éducation qui traitent du thème de la corruption et de la santé peuvent contribuer à changer la manière dont les administrateurs publics et le personnel des agences de développement abordent leur travail, ainsi qu’ à améliorer la transparence et la redevabilité. Cette note de synthèse U4 présente brièvement les expériences et les méthodes qui existent pour former les professionnels de la santé publique – débutants ou expérimentés – ainsi que les praticiens des organismes donateurs, à l’analyse des problèmes de corruption dans le secteur de la santé et l’élaboration de stratégies pour y remédier.</p> Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.u4.no/publications-2-fr-FR/la-corruption-dans-le-secteur-de-la-sante-methodes-d-apprentissage-et-d-enseignement/ Les programmes de formation et d’éducation qui traitent du thème de la corruption et de la santé peuvent contribuer à changer la manière dont les administrateurs publics et le personnel des agences de développement abordent leur travail, ainsi qu’ à améliorer la transparence et la redevabilité. Cette note de synthèse U4 présente brièvement les expériences et les méthodes qui existent pour former les professionnels de la santé publique – débutants ou expérimentés – ainsi que les praticiens des organismes donateurs, à l’analyse des problèmes de corruption dans le secteur de la santé et l’élaboration de stratégies pour y remédier.

]]> FR http://www.u4.no/publications/social-accountability-in-situations-of-conflict-and-fragility/ <p>Donor support to social accountability in fragile and conflict-affected states is a relatively new phenomenon. It has emerged with the lessons that top-down anticorruption approaches have often failed and different approaches are needed to improve state accountability to its people. With increasing support to fragile and conflict-affected states, donors should focus their efforts to: identify and support local accountability measures; strengthen partnerships across sectors, as well as demographic and geographic divides; and support collaborative governance and capacity building to strengthen the social contract between state and society in the wake of crisis.</p> Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.u4.no/publications/social-accountability-in-situations-of-conflict-and-fragility/ Donor support to social accountability in fragile and conflict-affected states is a relatively new phenomenon. It has emerged with the lessons that top-down anticorruption approaches have often failed and different approaches are needed to improve state accountability to its people. With increasing support to fragile and conflict-affected states, donors should focus their efforts to: identify and support local accountability measures; strengthen partnerships across sectors, as well as demographic and geographic divides; and support collaborative governance and capacity building to strengthen the social contract between state and society in the wake of crisis.

]]> EN http://www.u4.no/publications/natural-resources-corruption-and-trust-a-complex-relationship/ <p>Do natural resources reduce social trust? And if so, do natural resources have a direct effect on trust, or is their effect indirect through variables such as corruption? This issue paper reviews the literature on natural resources and on trust. The existing theoretical and empirical literature suggests that natural resources can reduce trust through several indirect mechanisms. Notably, studies show that natural resources lead to institutional degradation, corruption, inequality, and civil war, all of which have been associated with reduced trust. The paper tests empirically whether there is a direct effect of natural resources on trust (The Pearl Hypothesis), using cross-country data. The results indicate that no such direct effect exists, suggesting that any effect of resources on trust runs through intermediate variables such as institutions, corruption, inequality, and civil war. Importantly, however, the relationship between corruption and trust turns out to be non-linear, indicating that the effect of natural resources on trust depends on the initial corruption level of a country.</p> Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.u4.no/publications/natural-resources-corruption-and-trust-a-complex-relationship/ Do natural resources reduce social trust? And if so, do natural resources have a direct effect on trust, or is their effect indirect through variables such as corruption? This issue paper reviews the literature on natural resources and on trust. The existing theoretical and empirical literature suggests that natural resources can reduce trust through several indirect mechanisms. Notably, studies show that natural resources lead to institutional degradation, corruption, inequality, and civil war, all of which have been associated with reduced trust. The paper tests empirically whether there is a direct effect of natural resources on trust (The Pearl Hypothesis), using cross-country data. The results indicate that no such direct effect exists, suggesting that any effect of resources on trust runs through intermediate variables such as institutions, corruption, inequality, and civil war. Importantly, however, the relationship between corruption and trust turns out to be non-linear, indicating that the effect of natural resources on trust depends on the initial corruption level of a country.

]]> EN http://www.u4.no/publications-2-fr-FR/avantages-et-inconvenients-des-indemnites-journalieres-une-entrave-a-la-bonne-gouvernance-du-secteur-de-la-sante/ <p>Les indemnités journalières constituent un mécanisme important de remboursement des frais encourus au travail, d’encouragement à la participation aux activités de formation continue et de motivation des employés sous-payés. Il arrive cependant que les employés abusent de ces allocations en falsifiant leurs frais de transport ou en grossissant à leur bénéfice personnel le budget des séminaires de formation. En outre, la possibilité de toucher des indemnités journalières peut provoquer des distorsions dans l’élaboration des programmes, les décisions de gestion et la manière dont les employés utilisent leur temps. Sur la base d’un groupe de discussion et d’entretiens menés avec des professionnels du développement, cette note de synthèse U4 examine les avantages et les inconvénients des allocations journalières, et notamment leur impact potentiellement négatif sur les objectifs de développement.</p> Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.u4.no/publications-2-fr-FR/avantages-et-inconvenients-des-indemnites-journalieres-une-entrave-a-la-bonne-gouvernance-du-secteur-de-la-sante/ Les indemnités journalières constituent un mécanisme important de remboursement des frais encourus au travail, d’encouragement à la participation aux activités de formation continue et de motivation des employés sous-payés. Il arrive cependant que les employés abusent de ces allocations en falsifiant leurs frais de transport ou en grossissant à leur bénéfice personnel le budget des séminaires de formation. En outre, la possibilité de toucher des indemnités journalières peut provoquer des distorsions dans l’élaboration des programmes, les décisions de gestion et la manière dont les employés utilisent leur temps. Sur la base d’un groupe de discussion et d’entretiens menés avec des professionnels du développement, cette note de synthèse U4 examine les avantages et les inconvénients des allocations journalières, et notamment leur impact potentiellement négatif sur les objectifs de développement.

]]> FR http://www.u4.no/publications/what-s-the-catch-considering-an-eiti-for-fisheries/ <p>Lack of transparency in commercial fisheries has been a longstanding issue for those working to promote small-scale fishers’ rights in developing countries. It is a feature of the management of fisheries that many believe has favoured short-term interests of industrial fishing firms from industrialized countries, while contributing to mismanagement, corruption and illegal fishing. It is also emerging as a consideration for several governmental organizations. In 2010, the African Union organized a ministerial meeting on fisheries in Africa where transparency was highlighted as an important component of improving economic rents from fisheries, which experts suggest could potentially be USD 2 billion per year for the continent. The World Bank has also recently identified the issue of transparency in its lending and support for fisheries related projects in developing countries, while the FAO has identified transparency as critical for combating illegal fishing.</p> Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.u4.no/publications/what-s-the-catch-considering-an-eiti-for-fisheries/ Lack of transparency in commercial fisheries has been a longstanding issue for those working to promote small-scale fishers’ rights in developing countries. It is a feature of the management of fisheries that many believe has favoured short-term interests of industrial fishing firms from industrialized countries, while contributing to mismanagement, corruption and illegal fishing. It is also emerging as a consideration for several governmental organizations. In 2010, the African Union organized a ministerial meeting on fisheries in Africa where transparency was highlighted as an important component of improving economic rents from fisheries, which experts suggest could potentially be USD 2 billion per year for the continent. The World Bank has also recently identified the issue of transparency in its lending and support for fisheries related projects in developing countries, while the FAO has identified transparency as critical for combating illegal fishing.

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