Digital Commons Network^™

The State Of Democracy In South Africa, Heidi Van Dyk

The Confluence

Abstract:

On pen and paper, the country of South Africa fulfills the requirements to be a democracy. However, the country has been evaluated to be a flawed democracy and there is an elevated warning issued for the state by The Fragile State Index. This research seeks to find the root causes contributing to the decline of the state of democracy in South Africa. This state plays an important role in global politics. South Africa is a member of both G20 and BRICS, which are influential groups in the global arena. Further, the country exercises considerable regional influence as well as …

Mexican Money Laundering In The United States: Analysis And Proposals For Reform, Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, Charles Lewis, William R. Yaworsky

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article explains some of the mechanisms through which corruption by high-level Mexican politicians and other organized crime members is facilitated in the United States through money laundering operations. The analysis is based on information contained in court records related to key money laundering cases, as well as in news articles and reports from law enforcement agencies. These materials highlight the interrelationships among U.S. drug use, cartel activities in Mexico, human rights abuses, Mexican political corruption, and money laundering in the United States. This work demonstrates the pervasive use of legitimate businesses and fronts in the United States as a …

Examining Populist Political Parties In The Baltic States, Lilly Thompson

Honors College Theses

Globally, populist political parties and leaders have been making gains over the last decade. Many of these populist leaders have been using their power to erode democratic institutions and public trust. While the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have long distinguished themselves from the other post-communist countries of Eastern Europe, they are no exception to the populist trend. Under what conditions are populist political parties in the Baltic states successful? In this paper, I analyze the distinctive variables present that can explain the popularity of populism in all three states. I argue that there is a positive correlation …

Political Symbolism In Literature: Themes Of Colonialism, Corruption, And Greed, Ava E. Briglevich

FUSION

This Final Essay for World Literature Section 008 compares the texts “In the Penal Colony” by Franz Kafka and “Death Constant Beyond Love” by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez while analyzing themes of colonialism, corruption, and greed. Both authors are recognized for producing works rich with political and social commentary, and reading these stories allows one to gain new perspectives on these themes. In this essay, I share insight into the events that occurred during the stories' creation that contribute to the overall themes. Additionally, I connect these themes to modern events to demonstrate how the ideas put forth by Kafka and Garcia-Marquez …

Bad Apples Or A Rotten Orchard: Detroit Police Culture And Its Protection Of Corruption, Megan Quick

Rushton Journal of Undergraduate Humanities Research

In the light of substantial police corruption and misconduct in the history of the Detroit Police force, the defense of “a few bad apples” is frequently proffered. To examine the validity of the bad apple defense, this paper examines how the DPD’s leadership and rank and file officers responded to allegations and criminal charges for police corruption under Mayor Coleman A. Young. The paper concludes that police culture played a role in law enforcement corruption and points to the importance of understanding police corruption and its causes to better address the issue.

Materials For Embezzlement: How Municipal Corruption Exploited Social And Economic Conditions In Detroit, Mi, Jimmy Showers

Rushton Journal of Undergraduate Humanities Research

This paper examines how social and economic conditions in Detroit, MI, during the second half of the twentieth century were exploited in a specific instance of municipal corruption involving the city’s Chief of Police, William L. Hart. Drawing on primary source documents, this paper argues that Chief Hart corruptly exploited the city’s social and economic conditions and evaded legal intervention over a prolonged period thereby increasing the magnitude of the corruption and exacerbating negative effects on the city’s most vulnerable residents. Media coverage surrounding Hart’s conviction depicts ramifications difficult to measure highlighting a critical need for research into municipal corruption.

Belt And Road Initiative: Legal Mechanism To Recover Stolen Assets, Veltrice Tan

Singapore International Dispute Resolution Academy

Purpose: This paper aims to determine the types of legal mechanisms that authorities can use to recover stolen assets for and from China. Design/methodology/approach: Newspaper articles and books are examined as are relevant reports by various regulatory authorities and academic institutions. Findings: The effectiveness of legal mechanisms in the recovery of stolen assets may be affected by issues such as the difficulties in tracing illicit funds, the ambiguous nature of “value” as well as the rise in technology. Research limitations/implications: There are limited data available in relation to the prevalence of corrupt officials along the Belt and Road Initiative and …

Book Review: Corruption In The Americas, José De Arimatéia Da Cruz

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Editors: Jonathan D. Rosen and Hanna S. Kassab

Reviewed by Dr. José de Arimatéia da Cruz, professor of international relations and comparative politics, Georgia Southern University, and visiting professor, Center for Strategic Leadership, US Army War College

Jonathan D. Rosen and Hanna S. Kassab argue in Corruption in the Americas that corruption is not only an industry but has also become an integral part of Latin American societies. The book also notes that support for democracy in many Latin American countries (despite years of authoritarianism) is at an all-time low. The reviewer recommends this book saying, “The book highlights the …

Giglio Feds: The Void Of Ethical Leadership Within Federal Law Enforcement, Christopher J. Boosey

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

No abstract provided.

Crossfire In The Crosshairs: Why Prosecutions Are Necessary In The Interests Of The Republic, Christopher J. Boosey

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

No abstract provided.

Pengaruh Operasi Tangkap Tangan (Ott) Terhadap Pelaporan Dugaan Tindak Pidana Korupsi Oleh Masyarakat (Studi Kasus Kpk), Wardhana Ardy Syahputra, Muhammad Halley Yudhistira

Jurnal Kebijakan Ekonomi

The Hand Arrest Operation (OTT) is an activity by the KPK in the field of cracking down on corruption that is well-known among the Indonesian people. The activity was also marked by a press conference which outlines the profile of the suspect and the chronology of the arrests. In carrying out its duties, the KPK cannot work alone. The active participation of the community is certainly very helpful for the KPK in carrying out its duties more effectively and efficiently, one form of which is by reporting suspected corruption crimes. The study was conducted to see how the OTT activities …

Political Regimes And Firms' Decisions To Pay Bribes: Theory And Evidence From Firm-Level Surveys, Shuichiro Nishioka, Sumi Sharma, Tuan Le

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

This paper makes the most of the observed actions of bribe takers and givers from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys and studies how a taker’s action influences a giver's decision to pay bribes. To motivate our empirical study, we consider Kaufmann and Wei's (1999) Stackelberg game between a tax authority and a firm that undergoes tax inspection. The model predicts that, when the authority can use its action as a credible threat for the firm's profitability, the authority disturbs the firm by inspecting more, and the firm is more likely to pay bribes. Consistent with the theoretical prediction, we find …

Federal Law Enforcement Reform: Depoliticization Into A Constitutional Framework To Restore Public Confidence, Christopher J. Boosey

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis proposes that there is a lack of public confidence in federal law enforcement agencies and that this is because these agencies have become political weapons, investigating individuals rather than crimes, in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Following multiple scandals, from the historical targeting of the Civil Rights movement to present attempts to designate parents critical of school administrators as domestic terrorists, wholesale reform of these agencies is urgent. Therefore, this thesis will address the issue of politicization, political corruption, and the lack of adherence to constitutional principles through the problem, significance, and solution method. This thesis will first …

Behavioral Economics And Monetary Wisdom: A Cross-Level Analysis Of Monetary Aspiration, Pay (Dis)Satisfaction, Risk Perception, And Corruption In 32 Nations, Thomas Li-Ping Tang, Zhen Li, Mehmet Ferhat Özbek, Vivien K. G. Lim, Thompson S. H. Teo, Mahfooz A. Ansari, Toto Sutarso, Ilya Garber, Randy Ki-Kwan Chiu, Brigitte Charles-Pauvers, Caroline Urbain, Roberto Luna-Arocas, Jingqiu Chen, Ningyu Tang, Theresa Li-Na Tang, Fernando Arias-Galicia, Consuelo Garcia De La Torre, Peter Vlerick, Adebowale Akande, Abdulqawi Salim Al-Zubaidi, Ali Mahdi Kazem, Mark G. Borg, Bor-Shiuan Cheng, Linzhi Du, Abdul Hamid Safwat Ibrahim, Kilsun Kim, Eva Malovics, Richard T. Mpoyi, Obiajulu Anthony Ugochukwu Nnedum, Elisaveta Gjorgji Sardžoska, Michael W. Allen, Rosário Correia, Chin-Kang Jen, Alice S. Moreira, Johnston E. Osagie, Aahad M. Osman-Gani, Ruja Pholsward, Marko Polic, Petar Skobic, Allen F. Stembridge, Luigina Canova, Anna Maria Manganelli, Adrian H. Pitariu, Francisco José Costa Pereira

Faculty Publications

Corruption involves greed, money, and risky decision-making. We explore the love of money, pay satisfaction, probability of risk, and dishonesty across cultures. Avaricious monetary aspiration breeds unethicality. Prospect theory frames decisions in the gains-losses domain and high-low probability. Pay dissatisfaction (in the losses domain) incites dishonesty in the name of justice at the individual level. The Corruption Perceptions Index, CPI, signals a high-low probability of getting caught for dishonesty at the country level. We theorize that decision-makers adopt avaricious love-of-money aspiration as a lens and frame dishonesty in the gains-losses domain (pay satisfaction-dissatisfaction, Level 1) and high-low probability (CPI, Level …

The Effect Of Corruption Control On Efficiency Spillovers, Levent Kutlu, Xi Mao

Economics and Finance Faculty Publications and Presentations

We examine the effect of corruption control on efficiency and its implications for efficiency spillovers by a stochastic frontier model. Our dataset covers 102 countries from 1996 to 2014. We find a positive relationship between corruption control and efficiency. If neighboring countries have difficulty in handling corruption, the country would be negatively affected by its neighbors' corruption through efficiency spillovers. We then compare the efficiency differences across countries for three time periods: 1996–2002, 2002–2008, and 2008–2014. On average, technical efficiencies slightly increased in the second period compared to the first period. In the third period, the efficiencies declined, particularly in …

Press Freedom Under Threat In Europe: A Case Study Analysis Of The Increasing Threat To Press Freedom In Greece, Italy, And Hungary, Maya O'Leary-Cyr

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research critically examines the legal systems of European countries and their relationship to press freedom. This research focuses on the vexatious legal threats used by government officials and corporations to silence journalists. These legal threats are known as SLAPPs (strategic lawsuits against public participation) and their use has increased exponentially in the last decade. Considering the scope of the problem, this research analyzes the issue through the lens of European countries Greece, Italy, and Hungary. Being members of the European Union, each of these countries have an obligation to uphold the democratic standards put forth by the EU as …

The Implication Of Corruption On Sustainable Development In Africa: (Using Nigeria As A Case Study), Ezeifekwuaba Tochukwu Benedict

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

The scenario of the rise of corruption in Africa particularly in Nigeria is so much a problem. It cuts across the various Private Sectors including different tiers of government. This research paper applied collected secondary data from library materials, government publications, journals, the internet and daily newspapers. The kernel of the research paper is on the facts that corrupt practices among the class of political leadership have led to the undermining of the stability and growth of the country's economy. Also, it is discovered that corruption maximizes the poverty level that triggers criminal exercises in the Nation. The paper suggests …

Police Brutality In The United States Of America And Nigeria; A Comparative Analysis, Oludayo Philips Famakin-Johnson

Dissertations (2016-Present)

The recent spate of incidents regarding excessive use of force by law enforcement in the United States against mostly unarmed African Americans has elicited protests across the country. The ensuing outrage about police brutality brought to national attention the discriminatory practices in the criminal justice system. It also demonstrated that human rights violations by law enforcement are not an exclusive experience of developing nations, which are expected to look up to countries like the United States as a model for standard policing. Extant research, however, indicates excessive use of force is a common phenomenon in every country, including the United …

Compulsory Voting And Corruption In Latin America, Jonathan Dumdei

Senior Honors Theses

Among modern democracies, compulsory voting (CV) is institutionalized most prevalently in Latin America. Latin American politics have a long, turbulent history, and governments in the region have some of the highest rates of political corruption in the world among democracies, especially electoral fraud. This study investigates the connection between these two phenomena. Secondary empirical quantitative and qualitative research of political and cultural behavior are analyzed according to a rational choice theory decision paradigm. Demographic, experimental, and theoretical data regarding the effects of CV laws are considered in light of possible incentives and disincentives for engaging in vote-buying. This study inductively …

Situational And Personal Determinants Of Corruption In Sport, Jacek Gracz

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Maximization of action, social acceptance, long-lasting training, competition, and motor activity are usually mentioned among situational dimensions. Taking into account that all human actions, inclusive of the corruptive ones, have their psycho-social aspect and, according to the paradigm of interactive psychology, belong at the same time to the social and psychological reality, it might be expected that the dimensions of a competitive sport situation may be significantly decisive to the manner of formulation and realization of sport goals. In conclusions of the research the author presents that the level of inclination to corruption is significantly differentiated among particular sports and …

The Point Spread As A Reference Point: Evidence From The National Basketball Association, George Diemer, Michael Leeds

Journal of Applied Sport Management

A contentious literature surrounds the claim that heavy favorites’ failure to cover the point-spread in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball could indicate point-shaving. This paper extends the literature by using a new methodology to show that favorites in the National Basketball Association (NBA) also frequently fail to cover the spread. However, the high salaries in the NBA make point-shaving by players unlikely. Moreover, heavy underdogs also fail to cover the point spread and lose by more than expected. These seemingly anomalous findings are consistent with underdogs’ using the point-spread as a reference point.

Effect Of Health Aid On Life Expectancy In Sub-Saharan Africa, Sakiru Oladele Akinbode Dr., Isiaq O. Oseni

Journal for the Advancement of Developing Economies

No abstract provided.

The Westminster Model And The Destabilizing Of Democracy In The Caribbean, Peter L. René

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem with the Westminster model is the model’s lack of governance, oversight and colonial mindset which has led to a crisis that includes severe government corruption, deepening poverty, upticks in crime, debt and decreasing trade opportunities. This makes life harder for the citizens and threatens to destabilize the democracies with no one nation situated to cope with these existential challenges. National independence for the region was designed to maintain the status quo of colonial times while providing the illusion of autonomy and individual sovereignty. The purpose of the study was to analyze the Westminster model enacted in the Caribbean …

Impact Of Internal Control On Fraud In Ghana’S Cap 30 Pension Payment, David Annan-Bonny

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Pensions Ordinance No. 42 of 1950 (Pensions Act 1950), coded as the Cap 30 pension system, provides for pensions, gratuities, and other allowances for public servants. But despite internal controls, Ghana’s Cap 30 pension payment system continues to suffer from corruption. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of internal controls on fraud in the payment of Cap 30 pension gratuities and allowances at the national treasury in Ghana as well as the factors that inhibit the effective application of internal controls in the processing, computation, and payment of Cap 30 pension gratuities and allowances. The …

Does Fear Of Government Corruption Affect Voter Turnout?, Ryan Nahmias

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

According to the Survey of American Fears (2020-2021) fear of corrupt government officials is the number one thing Americans fear: 79.6 % of them in fact. In addition, voter turnout is one of the quintessential pillars that allows a democracy to function properly. In this paper I will examine the extent to which fear of government officials’ corruption affects voter turnout. Using the data from the Chapman Survey of American Fears and variables from the American National Election Study between 2020 and 2021, I expect to find a moderately strong relationship between fear of government corruption and voter turnout. Moreover, …

How Democratic Is Democracy? A History Of Political Corruption In Peru, Kaitlyn Selzler

Graduate Review

With the emergence of revisionist scholarship beginning in the 1960’s and 1970’s, scholars have taken terms which had absolute definitions, such as totalitarianism or democracy, and introduced different perspectives and methods which questioned the absolute authority of historical terminology. As a case study into these new historical methodologies, this essay seeks to answer the question: How democratic is Peru’s democracy? To answer this question, this research explores the deep seeded corruption in Latin America, specifically Peru, beginning in 1985 with the election of Alan Garcia, continuing through the presidency of Alberto Fujimori, and eventually ending with the current state of …

Jobs For Justice(S): Corruption In The Supreme Court Of India, Madhav S. Aney, Shubhankar Dam, Giovanni Ko

Research Collection School Of Economics

We investigate whether judicial decisions are affected by career concerns of judges by analyzing two questions: Do judges respond to incentives to pander by ruling in favor of the government in the hope of receiving jobs after retiring from the Supreme Court? Does the government reward judges who rule in its favor with prestigious jobs? We construct a data set of Supreme Court of India cases involving the government for 1999–2014. We find that incentives to pander have a causal effect on judicial decision-making, and they are jointly determined by the importance of the case and whether the judge retires …

Chukwuma Anyanwu: Dramatic Reflections On The Nigerian Society, Aghogho Lucky Imiti

International Review of Humanities Studies

Drama performs various roles in the society. One of such roles is the re-presentation of past events. These past events are historical antecedents which a given society is meant to be abreast of in order to cut a proper walking path for the future, either to avoid pitfalls of the past or uphold a certain standard. Likening drama to a mirror, this paper discussed the reflective nature of drama in the Nigerian society. Through the use of the literary method, Chukwuma Anyanwu’s dramatic texts, Stunted Growth, The Battle, Another Weekend, Gone! and Broken Image, were analysed to ascertain how well …

An Application Of Economic Norms Theory To Brazilian Corruption, Nina B. Neto

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study aims to explore the relationship between clientelistic economies and systemic corruption under the framework of Economic Norms Theory. Pointedly, it examines the evolution of contractual mortgage credit as a percentage of GDP (representing the growth of a non-self-enforcing contract market) compared to both actual and perceived levels of corruption in Brazil in order to assess whether Brazil is exemplary of a transitioning economy under the theory of Economic Norms. The hypothesis of this paper is two-fold. First, I expect that as mortgage credit as a percentage of GDP generally increases, actual corruption will decrease. Secondly, I expect that …

A Culture Of Corruption: A Case Study Of The National Culture Affecting The Socioeconomic Outcome Of Haiti, Dwindell Jean-Louis Sr

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the impact of organizational culture on Haiti from a socio-economic standpoint. The study used a case study approach in examining how Haiti’s national organizational culture influences the organizational structure of the various entities that make up the overall system. Overall, this study explored the influence that culture has in the shaping of a collective phenomenon. The established institutions are themselves products of the dominant cultural value systems, and in examining this system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs, this study aims to better highlight how the current organizational structure is fueling corruption. Even with the extensive history …