Browsing by Subject "Corruption"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Der Einfluss der Pressefreiheit auf Korruption: Eine akteurstheoretische Analyse
    (2007) Mayerhöffer, Eva
    Die Annahme, dass ein freies Pressewesen das Ausmaß an Korruption in einem Land beeinflusst, ergibt sich aus einer der zentralen normativen Funktionen, die den Massenmedien zugeschrieben werden. Demnach stellen die Medien eine ?vierte Gewalt? im Staat dar, welche die Regierungsgewalten kontrolliert und deren Fehlverhalten an das Licht der Öffentlichkeit bringt. Eine Reihe von empirischen Untersuchungen auf der Makroebene stellen in der Tat einen negativen Zusammenhang zwischen der Freiheit des Mediensystems und dem Korruptionsniveau eines Landes fest, vermögen aber diesen Zusammenhang nur unzureichend zu erklären. Dem Paradigma des methodologischen Individualismus folgend ergänzt diese Arbeit daher den makrosoziologischen Zusammenhang um eine mikrosoziologische, akteurszentrierte Erklärung. Unter Heranziehung mikrosoziologischer Theorien wie der Theorie rationalen Handelns - insbesondere der Wert-Erwartungs-Theorie - sowie der Spieltheorie wird aufgezeigt, wie über das Handeln des einzelnen Journalisten auf der Mikroebene der Zusammenhang zwischen Pressefreiheit und Korruptionsniveau auf der Makroebene erklärt werden kann. Aus dem Modell werden Hypothesen abgeleitet, welche Handlungsmöglichkeiten eine von legaler, wirtschaftlicher und politischer Einflussnahme weitgehend freie Presse den in ihr agierenden Journalisten eröffnet, warum sich Journalisten unter diesen Bedingungen dazu entscheiden, Korruptionsfälle ans Licht der Öffentlichkeit zu bringen und wie die einzelnen Enthüllungen von Journalisten zu einem Rückgang der Korruption führen können.
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    Governance challenges in post-conflict agricultural recovery programs in Northern Uganda : a comparative study of the Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF) and the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS)
    (2015) Wassajja, Emmy; Birner, Regina
    Violent conflicts are a major constraint to food security and agricultural development in many regions of the developing world. Rebuilding agriculture is a primary task after a conflict comes to an end yet agricultural recovery projects are challenging to implement because governance challenges such as corruption and elite capture are wide spread in post-conflict projects. This thesis presents a detailed case study of such governance challenges taking two agricultural recovery projects in Northern Uganda as examples. Overall, the study concludes that there is no ‘‘silverbullet‘‘ in improving governance of livelihoods programs in post-conflict areas. However, when both demand and supply-side strategies are implemented in a well-coordinated way, the governance challenges inherent in post-conflict recovery programs can be confronted more effectively.This will make an important contribution to rebuilding the agricultural livelihoods and ensuring food security in conflict-affected regions.
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    Governance conundrum : understanding the dynamics of petty corruption in Bihar, India
    (2016) Verma, Rajiv; Birner, Regina
    This thesis examines the dynamics of petty corruption in the Indian state of Bihar. It illustrates how the problem of petty corruption is manifested in the delivery of welfare services to the poor; explains the reasons for the perpetuation of systemic corruption in public dealings; investigates the strategies of civil society-led mobilization of the poor against corruption; unravels what happens when well-meaning anti-corruption policies and reforms hit the ground; and explores the attitudes of future bureaucrats toward bribery and corruption. These inquiries become crucial, as in the last few decades, scholars have identified the problem of corruption as one of the toughest governance challenges in developing countries, wherein welfare services often get trapped in ‘corruption cycle’ (see Rose-Ackerman, 1999; Debiel et al., 2011; Villoria et al., 2013). While corruption is widely acknowledged as a problem and some attempts have been made to quantify it, there is a dearth of empirically grounded research on the dynamics of corruption, its persistence, and the probable solution for curbing it. This thesis is an attempt in that direction. Bihar is chosen as the site of investigation because it has covered a long journey from being one of the most corrupt states in India about a decade back to have become a leading state in undertaking governance reforms for curbing corruption. The findings of the thesis contribute to the wider debates on good governance and corruption. It takes forward the discourse on corruption, which is largely dominated by the works that tend to quantify it, by unravelling the dynamics of corruption as well as presenting the narration and explanation for its persistence. The thesis compliments the literature on the role of civil society in preventing corruption by providing empirical evidence on the dynamics of civil society-led mobilisation of the poorest citizens in Bihar. It advocates the support of international agencies as well as the state in this endeavour, and argues for the nurturing of second rung of leadership in the facilitating organisation for the longevity of the movement. The thesis challenges the present fixation with strict monitoring and vigilance-focused reforms in anti-corruption measures. While acknowledging the need for better monitoring and accountability, it identifies the entry points for corruption in welfare schemes and suggests ways of curbing systemic corruption. It emphasises the need for communicating well to the target population the changes in rules and regulations of welfare programmes, alongside redressing the problems of poor working conditions and low remuneration of over-worked frontline workers. Finally, the thesis, in a novel attempt of its kind, presents the attitudes of future civil servants toward bribery and corruption. It argues that the anti-corruption efforts should not only focus on stringent action and speedy trial of erring officials but also strive for changing the ‘social acceptance’ of corruption through value-based education in wider society.