Swimming Against The Culture Of Corruption

Swimming Against the Culture of Corruption is, as the title suggests, intended to fight corruption, which has been one of the societal ills in Kenya. It is intended to point out to the ordinary Kenyan that he or she has a responsibility to deal with this evil and not to wait for political leaders to change the culture of corruption exclusively by themselves. Culture in this book is used in its wider meaning as to include such things as lies, which is corruption of truth. I have argued that fighting corruption calls for personal sacrifice, and I have demonstrated this with my personal experience and testimony. That was the purpose of telling my short life story in order to encourage others to come out and tell their stories as well in dealing with the rampant corruption in our society, which is to be found at all levels. Equally, the book argues that legislated law alone cannot deal with the problem as long as corrupt practices have been embedded in our culture. At the same time, I have argued that the culture of corruption is not inherently African. That, whereas its genesis may be traced in the twentieth-century colonization of our country by the British, the real practice as exercised by Kenyans against one another is, indeed, a post-Independence phenomena. In arguing the case of the power and efficacy of culture in determining the destiny of a society, I have said that we need to change our culture, and that by doing so, we shall be reverting to our truly African culture of integrity.

A Very Short History of Corruption Research and a List of What We Should Aim For

Cultural pessimism arises with the conviction that the culture of a nation, a civilisation or of humanity itself is in a process of irreversible decline. In an incisive and wide-ranging analysis, Cultural Pessimism: Narratives of Decline in the Postmodern World charts the growth of pessimism in the West during the last decades of the twentieth century. Drawing on studies from within a very broad range of fields, which include ecology, human rights, military history, international relations, criminology, history of science, cultural criticism and political economy, the author shows how cultural pessimism in the postmodern world can be related to the cumulative effect of four key narratives of decline:*Environmental decline*Moral decline*Intellectual decline*Political declineAfter a review of pessimism in other historical periods, each of these narratives is explored in depth. The book attempts to answer a number of questions: how are the narratives constituted and what are the conditions to which they refer? To what extent are those conditions historically unprecedented? To which cultures do the narratives relate? What values do they reflect? To what extent are the identified processes of decline seen as irreversible? Concluding that cultural pessimism is as much a matter of psychological and biological disposition as of intellectual judgement, Oliver Bennett's challenging book offers valuable new insights into how we view the prospects of the twenty-first century.Features:*Provides an authoritative account of how the postmodern world has been represented as one of decline. *Brings together different perspectives kept apart by professional and academic specialisation*Views culture in its broadest sense as 'a whole way of life'*Provides an historical overview of cultural pessimism, tracing its various manifestations from the modern period back to its existence in early religions*Examines the biological, psychological and sociolog

THE ANTI-CORRUPTION HANDBOOK Today's demanding marketplace expects CFOs, auditors, compliance officers, and forensic accountants to take responsibility for fraud detection. These expectations are buoyed by such legislation as the Foreign Corruption Practices Act (FCPA), which makes it a crime for any U.S. entity or individual to obtain or retain business by paying bribes to foreign government officials. Written by William P. Olsen, the National Practice Leader of Investigations at Grant Thornton, The Anti-Corruption Handbook: How to Protect Your Business in the Global Marketplace provides guidelines addressing the challenges of maintaining business integrity in the global marketplace. Timely and thought provoking, this book reveals the risks of doing business around the world and the precautions organizations can take to deter such activity. Authoritative, comprehensive, and insightful, The Anti-Corruption Handbook provides clear guidance on: Managing corruption risk in the global marketplace U.S. laws governing corruption Internal controls and accounting provisions of FCPA The human factor of corruption Corporate governance: the key to unmasking corrupt activity Navigating the perils of global business Anti-money laundering Procurement and construction fraud Information security Whistle blower programs Doing business internationally does not need to increase your exposure to fraud and corruption. Filled with case studies, tables, charts, and practical examples, The Anti-Corruption Handbook: How to Protect Your Business in the Global Marketplace equips fraud-fighting professionals—whatever their role or responsibility—with the knowledge and tools needed to obtain a competitive advantage in the global markets of the twenty-first century.

This book contributes to a broadened theorisation of journalism by exploring the intricacies of African journalism and its connections with the material realities that underpin the profession on the continent. It pulls together theoretically driven studies that collectively deploy a wide range of evidence to shed some light on newsmaking cultures in Africa – the everyday routines, defining epistemologies, as well as ethical dilemmas. The volume digs beneath the standardised and universalised veneer of professionalism to unpack routine practices and normative trends shaped by local factors, including the structural conditions of deprivation, entrenched political instability (and interference), pervasive neo-patrimonial governance systems, and the influences of technological developments. These varied and complex circumstances are shown to profoundly shape the foundations of journalism in Africa, resulting in routine practices that are both normatively distinct and equally in tune with (imported) Western journalistic cultures. The book thus broadly points to the dialectical nature of news production and the inconsistent and contradictory relationships that characterise news production cultures in Africa.

With a new foreword by Tim Cornell ‘Can anyone be so indifferent or idle as not to care to know by what means and under what kind of polity almost the whole inhabited world was conquered and bought under the dominion of a single city of Rome?’ – Polybius, Greek Historian The city of Rome created the foundations of an empire that would come to challenge and conquer the great civilizations of Europe and the Near East. H.H. Scullard’s definitive and highly acclaimed study reveals the peculiar genius of the Roman people, their predilection for law and order and their powers of organization and administration, all of which created a confederation the like of which the Greek World had never seen. He explores the political, military, economic and social history of this incredible empire, showing how the Romans realized an ecumenical ideal and embraced Western Civilization within one political system. Celebrated for its political and military victories as well as its incredible feats of engineering, literature and art. Scullard charts the foundation of Rome, the establishment of the Republic, and its spectacular rise until the fall of Carthage. Scullard not only explores the accomplishments of the empire but vividly delves into the corruptive foreign influences which began to undermine the moral qualities of Rome, when lust for power superseded the desire for law and order. A superb overview of this charged historical epoch, A History of the Roman World takes us inside the pivotal events and struggles which have heavily influenced modern western civilizations.

Public funds spent on jets and horses. Shoeboxes stuffed with embezzled cash. Ghost payrolls and incarcerated ex-governors. Illinois' culture of "Where's mine?" and the public apathy it engenders has made our state and local politics a disgrace. In Corrupt Illinois, veteran political observers Thomas J. Gradel and Dick Simpson take aim at business-as-usual. Naming names, the authors lead readers through a gallery of rogues and rotten apples to illustrate how generations of chicanery have undermined faith in, and hope for, honest government. From there, they lay out how to implement institutional reforms that provide accountability and eradicate the favoritism, sweetheart deals, and conflicts of interest corroding our civic life. Corrupt Illinois lays out a blueprint to transform our politics from a pay-to-play–driven marketplace into what it should be: an instrument of public good.