Conference Agenda

Problem Statement and Purpose

Ethics and integrity in the public service is certainly one of the most discussed topics in Public Administration. The large majority of the studies, essays, and policy papers focus on what can be done to assure that public officials will act ethically and morally so that public goals can be attained (cf. Grayer, 2020). Much less attention has been given to how (and why) integrity systems derail and, instead of working to assure the integrity of public services, end up corrupting it.

The semantic meaning of integrity entails the idea that something keeps its whole, its identity. The purpose of public services to promote the quality of life for the population. Even when public services target specific groups, the premise is that society as a whole will benefit. One can speak of public service integrity when this purpose is accomplished. “Corruption” is the nemesis of integrity: it damages the very purpose of public services, because it serves goals which are divorced from the public interest. Thus, any act that erodes the core purpose of public services can be considered an act of corruption. Integrity systems, therefore, can be corrupted themselves.

The purpose of the analysis is to assess how well integrity systems are operating in the federal government in Brazil. Although the analysis uses data that is pertinent to the Brazilian context, it presents a method that can be adapted to assess the integrity systems functioning in other countries as well.

Methodology

The article analyses data collected by the General Controllers of the Union (Corregedoria Geral da União – CGU), the agency responsible for supervising integrity systems in the federal government in Brazil, pertaining the integrity systems functioning in 10 federal universities, as well as additional data from CGU’s “Portal da Transparência”. The analysis uses data regarding the three most used formal procedures (PADs, rito sumário, and sindicância), assessing the performance of the 10 universities according to three indicators: (1) overall investigation rate, (2) sanctions rate, and (3) average time spent in integrity investigations.

Findings

The performance of the integrity systems varies considerably between the ten universities composing the analysis, depending on the indicator considered. A few showed a high overall investigation rate, that is, the rate between the number of public servants implicated in putative wrongdoings per total number of the workforce. Practically all universities presented very low sanctions rates. On average, universities spent 350 days to conclude an integrity investigation. Overall, the performance of the integrity systems of the 10 universities are less than desirable: they took a long time to be concluded, cost precious public money, and were mostly unnecessary.

Proposals

To avoid costly and unfair procedures, federal universities and other federal agencies should adopt the speediest integrity procedure, known as “Termo de Ajuste de Conduta”. Semi-formal procedures designed to solve conflicts within the workplace, such as mediation committees, should be adopted more often. The assessment of the integrity systems point to areas that need improvements: “Why so many public servants are being investigated?”; “Does our organization have a problem with dissent in the workplace?“; “Is this formal investigation really necessary?”; “How can we cut down the time needed to conclude a formal investigation?”

References

Andrews, C. W. (21 Apr 2023). How Disciplinary Processes in the Public Service (legally) Violate Individual Rights: A Case Study from Brazil. Public Integrity, DOI: 10.1080/10999922.2023.2202494.

De Vries, M. (2023). Kapot: Hoe vilein is de deugindustrie? [Broken: How villainous is the virtue industry]. Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Blauwburgwal.

Tladi, T. (2021). The Impact of Politics on Human Resource Management in South Africa’s Government Departments. Journal of Public Administration, 56(1), 80–92.

Problem Statement and Purpose

Pema County, located in Qinghai Province, China, has an average altitude of 3000 meters. The majority of its population consists of Tibetan herders who rely on selling livestock and dairy products for income. However, since 2004, local Tibetan Buddhist Lamas have increasingly expressed concerns about the growth of mass animal slaughter, leading to the initiation of a social movement aimed at resisting the sale of livestock to slaughterhouses, known as the anti-slaughter movement. In response to this religious call, herders have taken oaths to refrain from selling yaks. Consequently, the slaughterhouse in Pema collapsed in 2007, leading to a scarcity of meat products in the area. Local herders endure potential stigma or retaliation if they sell yaks, yet also confront significant income reduction if they cease sales. This poses dual economic and psychological challenges for locals, contradicting the state’s advice on SDGs and presenting critical challenges for public service leaders. This study aims to tackle the ethical dilemmas encountered by Tibetan herders as they navigate the delicate balance between material progress and their religious and ethical values. Additionally, it seeks to investigate effective strategies for promoting alternative service provision and fostering sustainable societal adaptability.

Methodology

This study employed a case study research methodology, including observations, surveys, and interviews to examine the ethical dilemma faced by Tibetan herders in reconciling development with ethical values. Additionally, it juxtaposes these dilemmas with the contemporary global vegetarian movement, shedding light on obstacles to effective social governance and the pursuit of SDGs amidst ethical and moral conflicts. While the case study may not offer conclusive explanations, it serves to raise awareness and deepen understanding of the issue.

Findings

This case study emphasizes the pivotal role of ethical values in social governance. Amid the anti-slaughter movement, herders in Pema pledged to refrain from yak-selling, resulting in a significant income loss of up to 50%. This challenges the state’s perspectives on SDGs. In 2014, the Qinghai Government initiated a rectification program to augment local income, called “Pema Experience”. However, despite state interventions, some herders continue to resonate with the movement. This underscores the necessity for a nuanced comprehension of the religious and ethical dimensions in the pursuit of SDGs, as material progress alone may not ensure social harmony and stability.

Proposals

For centuries, Tibetan herders have relied on meat products as a vital source of sustenance amidst the harsh conditions of the Qinghai Plateau. However, the recent surge in the anti-slaughter movement has somehow stigmatized meat consumption, directly challenging the livelihoods of local herders and hindering progress towards the state’s SDGs. Various customs and traditions have yielded both positive and negative impacts on social development. The case study of the anti-slaughter movement underscores the obstacles posed by old customs during the promotion of SDGs. This suggests the necessity for religious and ethical values to align with social development and progress.

References

Gaerrang. 2011. “The Alternative to Development on the Plateau: Preliminary Research on the Anti-Slaughter Movement.” Revues d’Etudes Tibétaines, 21(2):31-43.

Sivaramakrishnan, K. and Arun Agrawal (eds.). 2003. Regional Modernities: The Cultural Politics of Development in India. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Moore, Donald. 2000. “The Crucible of Cultural Politics: Reworking ‘Development’ in Zimbabwe’s Eastern Highlands.” American Ethnologist, 26(3): 654–89.

Problem Statement and Purpose

Together with globalisation, civil wars, ethnic conflict, and economic hardship are the context for a surge of diaspora on the African continent and the Middle East which has given rise to a multitude of effects, of which human smuggling and trafficking stands out as direct consequences. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC 2019) has estimated that human smuggling generates in excess of $7 billion a year. Many victims of trafficking begin their journey voluntarily, and many incidents of trafficking start out with migrants being smuggled”. Trafficking in persons is a complex and multifaceted crime that is a manifestation of many of the systemic social, structural, economic, cultural and political problems which continue to entrench discrimination, inequality, exclusion and exploitation across the globe. It is in this context that an estimated 40.3 million people are victims of ‘forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking’ (International Labour Organisation nd), as traffickers continue to operate with relative impunity and the criminogenic environment within which it thrives remains intact. This continues despite a comprehensive international legal framework, which came into existence to curb trafficking two decades ago. While traditional focus has been on the transnational nature of the crime – particularly the trafficking of vulnerable people from developing to developed countries – it has become apparent that most trafficking occurs domestically (within developed and developing countries) and intra-regionally.

Methodology

The purpose of this paper is twofold. Firstly, the paper seeks to untangle the complexities surrounding the intersection of trafficking in persons in South Africa with migration, smuggling, and diasporic communities in an era of globalization; and challenge the dominant narrative based on a constructed moral economy of gendered violence and transnational crime. This is achieved using Turner and Kelly’s (Turner and Kelley 2009) typology of diasporic models which intersect with trafficking groups, within the context of deviant globalization, using data from a review of publicly available trafficking cases over the period 2000 – 2020. The article offers a perspective on the complexities of trafficking chains and experiences where diasporic communities are involved (either as victims or perpetrators) in South Africa.

Findings

Secondly, the paper seeks to analyse the governance agenda for anti-human trafficking within South Africa, by a qualitative analysis of the comprehensiveness of South Africa’s migration policies relative to the critical areas of intersection identified from the application of the Turner and Kelley typology, using the Migration Governance Framework. This framework is a tool based on policy inputs, which offers insights on policy levers that countries can use to develop their migration governance frameworks. Further, the framework seeks to provide a context for conversations by clarifying what “well-governed migration” might look like in the context of SDG Target 10.7.

Proposals

The paper concludes that despite the best intentions of the State, anti-trafficking measures may have unintended consequences that may adversely impact the rights of victims, and even those involved in the trafficking process.

References

UNDOC 2019

Problem Statement and Purpose

The White Paper on Local Government (1998) was enacted to spearhead developmental local government since municipalities were considered strategic focal points due to their proximity and relatedness to the local communities. Nevertheless, the local government in South Africa has been a ‘spoilt child’ for a long time as the ‘rod’ has been spared by the legal mechanisms leading to various bureaucratic failures. Repeated transgressions in municipal governance and public service delivery in South Africa have triggered this assertion, “Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child’. Demystifying this statement in light of the Auditor General report triggers various administrative deficiencies that affected service delivery in selected municipalities. Research done in the past decade in South Africa provided recommendations for local government to implement consequent management which is vital in ensuring that bureaucratic and political transgressors account for their actions in service delivery (Fourie and Malan, 2022). Sparing of the ‘Rod’ in local government transformation was noted in the 10 municipalities under study as cases of lack of compliance with legislation were revealed, poor implementation of servant leadership, unresponsive and weak municipal structures were affected. Rising from these burning and yet recurrent bureaucratic ills, in local government, this study explores how ‘spoiling’ the ‘child’ which is local government, has triggered various service delivery deficiencies in the selected 10 municipalities in South Africa. The purpose of this study was to explore how ‘spoiling’ the ‘child’ which is local government, has triggered various service delivery deficiencies in the selected 10 municipalities in South Africa.

Methodology

This study utilised an explorative qualitative research design to understand how municipal leadership in selected municipalities failed to implement consequent management in their transformative agenda of local government in South Africa. Utilising this design can assist in unearthing various bureaucratic dilemmas experienced by local government that hinder transformation for effective service delivery.

Findings

The findings of the study revealed that in transforming local government in the selected municipalities common challenges were experienced across these institutions. The reluctance to bring municipal officials to book for financial mismanagement, poor implementation of work procedures, resistance to change, poor compliance with legislation on municipal governance and unethical conduct were noted to be affecting local government transformation. Further absence of consequent management was noted in local government procurement systems where supply chain processes were manipulated, although local government leadership was not held accountable.

Proposals

Implementing consequent management to mitigate bureaucratic deficiencies and transform local government leadership is the alternative to ensure that municipal officials account for their actions in public service delivery. For local government to become an efficient service provider and implement the audit opinions of the Auditor General there is a need to reinforce the internal legal and institutional controls while advocating for social accountability which is key in upholding accountability in communities being served. Harnessing citizen and stakeholder participation in local government affairs remains in transforming the public service delivery landscape in South Africa

References

Auditor General South Africa (2021/22). Consolidated General Report on Local government Audit Outcomes. MFMA 2021-2022. pp. 1-144.

Fourie, D. and Malan C (2023) Addressing the Endemic Consequences of Corruption in the South African Local Government Public Sector. Corruption - New Insights. IntechOpen. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108154.

Lungisa, S. and Nzewi, O.I. (2023), “The utilisation of normative ethics theories as catalysts for consequence management in municipal governance in South Africa”, International Journal of Development and Sustainability, Vol. 12 No. 2, pp. 52-67.

Republic of South Africa. (1998). White Paper on Local Government. South Africa. Government Printer.