Evaluating the effectiveness of anti-corruption agencies in five Asian countries

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon S. T. Quah
Keyword(s):  
The Philippines ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Political Will ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Governance Indicators ◽  
Percentile Rank ◽  
Central Commission ◽  
Corrupt Party

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is threefold: first, to ascertain the levels of effectiveness of the anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) in China, Japan, Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan; second, to explain why some of these ACAs are more effective than others; and third, to suggest some policy recommendations for addressing their limitations. Design/methodology/approach – This paper relies on three well-known international indicators to assess the perceived extent of corruption in the five countries. Similarly, their quality of governance is assessed by their total percentile rank on the World Bank’s six governance indicators in 2013. Findings – Singapore’s Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau is effective because of its government’s political will and favorable policy context. The Philippines and Taiwan rely on ineffective multiple ACAs, which are inadequately staffed and funded, and compete with each other for limited resources. China’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection is ineffective because corrupt party members are disciplined and not prosecuted, and the political leaders use corruption as a weapon against their opponents. Japan’s weak political will is reflected in its reluctance to address its structural corruption. This paper concludes with policy recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of the ACAs in the five countries. Originality/value – The comparative analysis of the effectiveness of the ACAs in the five Asian countries and the policy recommendations for addressing their limitations will be of interest to policy makers, scholars and anti-corruption practitioners.

Combating Corruption in Asian Countries: Learning from Success & Failure

Daedalus ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 147 (3) ◽  
pp. 202-215
Author(s):  
Jon S.T. Quah
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Type A ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Single Type ◽  
Type B ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Political Will ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Hong Kong Sar

With widespread corruption in many Asian countries, Singapore and Hong Kong SAR have proved exceptions: their governments’ strong political will and reliance on single “Type A” anticorruption agencies (ACAs) have effectively and impartially enforced anticorruption laws. By contrast, the governments in China, India, and the Philippines have failed to minimize corruption due to weak political will and reliance on multiple ineffective and poorly resourced “Type B” ACAs. This essay draws on the experiences of these five countries to identify four lessons for policy-makers to enhance the effectiveness of their ACAs.

Combating corruption in six Asian countries: a comparative analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 244-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon S.T. Quah
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
The Other ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Political Will ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brunei Darussalam ◽  
Different Levels

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare the experiences of the six Asian countries covered in this special issue and explain their different levels of effectiveness in combating corruption. Design/methodology/approach – This paper analyses the policy contexts in these countries, their perceived extent and causes of corruption, and evaluates the effectiveness of their anti-corruption agencies (ACAs). Findings – Brunei Darussalam is less corrupt because it is the smallest, least populated and richest country, without being embroiled in conflict compared to the other five larger countries, which are more populous but poorer and adversely affected by conflict. The Sultan’s political will in combating corruption is reflected in the better staffed and funded Anti-Corruption Bureau, which has prosecuted and convicted more corrupt offenders. By contrast, the lack of political will of the governments in the other five countries is manifested in their ineffective ACAs, which are not independent, lack capacity and resources, and are used against political opponents. Originality/value – This paper will be useful for those scholars, policy-makers and anti-corruption practitioners interested in how effective these six Asian countries are in combating corruption and the reasons for their different levels of effectiveness.

Combating police corruption in five Asian countries: a comparative analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-216
Author(s):  
Jon S.T. Quah
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Police Corruption ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Red Tape ◽  
Contextual Differences

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the contextual differences and causes of police corruption in Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan and to assess their governments’ effectiveness in minimising this problem. Design/methodology/approach The paper begins by identifying the contextual differences in the five countries before analysing their major causes of police corruption and their governments’ effectiveness in minimising it. Findings Police corruption is a more serious problem in Indonesia and the Philippines because of their more difficult governance environments, low salaries of police officers, red tape, lack of meritocracy in recruitment and promotion, and lack of accountability of police officers. By contrast, the perceived extent of police corruption has declined in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan in recent years because of the improvement in the salaries of their police officers and the implementation of various police reforms. Originality/value This comparative analysis of combating police corruption in five Asian countries will be of interest to policy makers and scholars concerned with minimising this problem.

China-US rivalry in South China Sea is muted for now

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
South China Sea ◽  
South China ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
The South China Sea ◽  
South East Asia ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
The South ◽  
Content Type ◽  
China Sea

Subject The South China Sea dispute. Significance China and the United States increased their military activities in the South China Sea in January and February, with US ‘freedom of navigation operations’ (FONOPs) pushing back on Chinese maritime jurisdictional claims in the area. The Philippines before June 2016 contested China’s expansive claims. Increased rivalry between Beijing and Washington in South-east Asia raises the risk of a dangerous naval confrontation. Impacts The Philippines will continue to solicit investment from China. China is unlikely to undertake actions in the South China Sea that would seriously irk the Philippines. South-east Asian countries will emphasise the importance of the region not becoming a theatre for China-US rivalry.

scholarly journals Testing the convergence and the divergence in five Asian countries: from a GMM model to a new Machine Learning algorithm

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cosimo Magazzino ◽  
Marco Mele ◽  
Nicolas Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Learning Algorithm ◽  
Panel Data Analysis ◽  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Economic Convergence ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Endogenous Growth Theory ◽  
New Machine

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically test the economic convergence that operate between five selected Asian countries (namely Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia). In particular, it seeks to investigate how increased economic integration has impacted the inter-country income levels among the five founding members of ASEAN.Design/methodology/approachA new Machine Learning (ML) approach is applied along with a panel data analysis (GMM), and the application of KOF Globalization Index.FindingsThe Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) results highlight that the endogenous growth theory seems to be supported for the selected Asian countries, indicating evidence of diverging forces resulting from unequal growth and polarization dynamics. Overcoming the technical issues raised by the econometric approach, the new ML algorithm brings contrasted but interesting results. Using the KOF Globalization Index, the authors confirm how the last phase of globalization set the conditions for an economic convergence among sample members.Originality/valueUsing the KOF Globalization Index, the authors confirm how the last phase of globalization set the conditions for an economic convergence among sample members. As a matter of fact, the new LSTM algorithm has provided consistent evidence supporting the existence of converging forces. In fact, the results highlighted the effectiveness of the experiments and the algorithm we chose. The high predictability of the authors’ model and the absence of self-alignment in the values showed a convergence be-tween the economies.

South-east Asia coastguard growth could see friction

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
East Asia ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
East Asian ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
South East Asia ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Territorial Claims

Subject Development of South-east Asian coastguards and their geopolitical implications. Significance Senior coastguard officers from Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the United States will meet later this year to discuss cooperation and capacity-building -- and the assertive actions of China's coastguard in littoral waters. With external partners' support, South-east Asian states are developing their coastguards to fight crime and assert maritime territorial claims. Impacts Fishing activities will probably trigger spats between South-east Asian and China's coastguards. Gradually, inter-operability between South-east Asian coastguards will expand. Tokyo and Washington will use coastguards to deepen ties with South-east Asian countries. There could be frictions between Indonesia's and Malaysia's coastguards over waters around Ambalat.

Combating corruption in Cambodia

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophal Ear
Keyword(s):  
World Bank ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Political Will ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transparency International ◽  
Policy Context ◽  
The World Bank ◽  
The World

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical analysis and survey of Cambodia’s recent efforts to combat corruption. It explores the policy context, perceived extent of corruption, causes of corruption, anti-corruption measures, evaluates those anti-corruption measures, and provides policy recommendations. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews the literature on corruption and anti-corruption efforts in Cambodia. It relies on available data from the World Bank and Transparency International, and compares these data over time. Findings – The paper shows that corruption in Cambodia is pervasive and that anti-corruption efforts are limited because of a lack of political will. Existing anti-corruption measures designed with loopholes must be amended, but implementation remains the primary challenge. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the limited literature on combating corruption in Cambodia.

Emissions and trade in Southeast and East Asian countries: a panel co-integration analysis

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 460-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mansor H. Ibrahim ◽  
Syed Aun R. Rizvi
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
South Korea ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Estimation Method ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Trade Policies ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Long Run

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the implication of trade on carbon emissions in a panel of eight highly trading Southeast and East Asian countries, namely, China, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong, The Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis relies on the standard quadratic environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) extended to include energy consumption and international trade. A battery of panel unit root and co-integration tests is applied to establish the variables’ stochastic properties and their long-run relations. Then, the specified EKC is estimated using the panel dynamic ordinary least square (OLS) estimation technique. Findings – The panel co-integration statistics verifies the validity of the extended EKC for the countries under study. Estimation of the long-run EKC via the dynamic OLS estimation method reveals the environmentally degrading effects of trade in these countries, especially in ASEAN and plus South Korea and Hong Kong. Practical implications – These countries are heavily dependent on trade for their development processes, and as such, their impacts on CO2 emissions would be highly relevant for assessing their trade policies, along the line of the gain-from-trade hypothesis, the race-to-the-bottom hypothesis and the pollution-safe-haven hypothesis. Originality/value – The analysis adds to existing literature by focusing on the highly trading nations of Southeast and East Asian countries. The results suggest that reassessment of trade policies in these countries is much needed and it must go beyond the sole pursuit of economic development via trade.

Auditor switching, lowballing and conditional conservatism: evidence from selected Asian countries

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khairul Anuar Kamarudin ◽  
Ainul Islam ◽  
Ahsan Habib ◽  
Wan Adibah Wan Ismail
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Earnings Quality ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Auditor Switching ◽  
Conditional Conservatism ◽  
Big 4 ◽  
Will Force

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the effect of auditor switching and lowballing on conditional conservatism, particularly how different types of auditor switching, namely, upward, downward and lateral switching to/from Big 4 and industry specialists, affect earnings quality in the following selected Asian countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand. Design/methodology/approach Using conditional conservatism as a proxy for earnings quality, this study hypothesises that upward switching from non-Big 4 to Big 4 auditors, or from non-specialist to specialist auditors, would result in high conditional conservatism, while downward switching would lead to low conditional conservatism. The study further tests whether lowballing provides a viable explanation for reduced earnings conservatism in firms that switch from Big 4 to non-Big 4 auditors, or from specialist to non-specialist auditors. Findings The analysis, on a sample of 28,073 firm-year observations from 2007 to 2016, shows that the decision to downgrade auditors leads to lower conditional conservatism in the year of switching, compared with other firms and the pre-switching year. The evidence further shows that, when firms downgrade their auditors, lowballing contributes to a decrease in conditional conservatism in the first year of audit switching. Further, this research finds that switching to specialist auditors will result in increased conditional conservatism, while switching from specialist auditors to non-specialist auditors will result in reduced conditional conservatism. Practical implications The findings of this study are useful to investors who are looking to diversify their investment portfolio in developing markets, as evidence about auditor switching and quality of financial reporting may be an important factor in their investment decisions. Downward auditor switches and lowballing could act as red flags to investors in the sense that these events could signal a decrease in conditional conservatism and, hence, quality of earnings. Originality/value This research offers new evidence to support the view that management decisions to switch to lower-quality auditors will force newly appointed auditors to acquiesce to clients’ demands for reporting low-quality earnings.

Treading the straight and righteous path: curbing corruption in the Philippines

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Vincent C. Batalla
Keyword(s):  
The Philippines ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Public Officials ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
State Institutions ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Philippine Government ◽  
Control Of Corruption

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the anti-corruption performance of the Philippine government, particularly under the leadership of President Benigno Aquino III. Design/methodology/approach – The paper evaluates the anti-corruption measures as represented by pertinent laws as well as anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) under the Aquino administration. Findings – The Aquino government has exercised remarkable political will in acting on high-profile cases involving former government officials, including former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. However, the government’s overall anti-corruption performance is hampered by outdated and conflicting laws, lack of compliance with anti-corruption laws and regulations by public officials and employees, poor ACA operational capacities, judicial inefficiency, deficient organizational systems and change-resistant government agencies, and selective and partial enforcement of anti-corruption laws. These problems are characteristic of Philippine political administrations and are arguably rooted in a system long characterized by fragile state institutions, strong oligarchic control, and weak citizenship. Originality/value – The paper is intended to update scholars, policy makers, and anti-corruption practitioners interested in corruption, ACA performance, and political reform in the Philippines. It discusses corruption-related problems of public administration within the purview of political economy. Based on this perspective, it argues that the key to effective control of corruption is a change in the political system’s configuration rather than the mere change in leadership.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document