Combating Corruption Singapore Style

The purpose of this book is to explain why a number of countries have succeeded in combating corruption; and to identify the lessons which other countries can learn from these five countries' successful experiences in curbing corruption.

This book shares best practices and practical experiences from Asian countries, and should serve as a resource book in the hands of counter-corruption agencies and government leaders. It examines common challenges and shared experiences, and lays out tested strategies and solutions.

As corruption is a serious problem in many Asian countries their governments have introduced many anti-corruption measures since the 1950s. This book analyzes and evaluates the anti-corruption strategies employed in Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mongolia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Fundamental changes within economies are needed to create arm''s-length relations between governments, corporations, and banks. We are taking risks when investing in the future, and risk-taking demands openness and truthfulness from the agents we employ. If investors and accountants can concur on the degree of disclosure that is morally right we may come to some global agreement on what constitutes corruption OCo but to do this we have to bring together those who advocate profit-making with those who see this as usury; and we have to care for the future in novel ways OCo unknown in the past OCo so as to allow firms to be locally inefficient (apparently) while preserving the environment. This book looks widely at the prevailing situation in Asia and considers how little some governments are doing to guide their institutions towards probity and transparency. While fundamental changes are needed around the globe, it is in the developing nations that there is scope for radical change in the near future, as their institutions are re-created to meet the modern world. Once developed and functioning their managers will have the opportunity to facilitate and re-direct the institutions in the developed world, which happen to be more conservative than their own. Contents: The OECD Convention and Asia (E Quinones); The Asian Money Laundering Explosion (P Lilley); Corruption in Context (L Palmier); Monopoly Rights and Wrongs: Two Forms of Intellectual Property Rights Violations in Asia (H-B Cheah); Culture and Level of Industrialization as Determinants of Corruption in Asia (D Sculli); The Economy of Seepage and Leakage in Asia: The Most Dangerous Issue (G Etienne); Combating Corruption in Southeast Asia (C Wescott); The Nature of Corruption Hidden Culture: The Case of Korea (Y-L Moon & G N McLean); Comparative Study of Anti-Corruption Systems, Efforts and Strategies in Asian Countries: Focusing on Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and Korea (T Kim); and other papers. Readership: Final-year undergraduates, master''s and MBA students in ethics and social science; researchers on Asian topics, managers and policy-makers."

Singapore was ranked first for the competence of its public officials from 1999 to 2002 by "The Global Competitiveness Report". This book intends to provide a detailed study of public administration Singapore-style.

Despite intensified governmental and public efforts at corruption control in recent years, official transgression continues to surface in various ways of abusing the unique power and trust that a government holds. Preventing Corruption in Asia addresses a number of crucial questions: -What institutional arrangements are necessary to ensure a clean and honest government? - What self-regulatory capabilities must government institutions develop in order to maintain integrity? -How should a sense of ethical responsibility be instilled in the civil services? -Do special anti-corruption agencies help keep government clean? -How will a regulatory framework of official conduct work properly? -How useful are anti-corruption campaigns in containing corruption? Focusing on a number of carefully selected countries in the Asia and Pacific region, the book sets as its focal point the choice of institutional design in preventing corruption, rather than treating corruption as a practical or technical problem to be corrected by strong political will and good anti-corruption policy measures. While focusing on institutional designs and policy choices, the book also examines other aspects of clean government such as the social environment, legal and regulatory framework, role of the public, and the impact of culture.