Convicting Politicians for Corruption:The Politics of Criminal Accountability

Why are politicians more likely to be prosecuted and convicted for corruption in some contexts rather than in others? Pulling together disparate threads of the literature on what we call the politics of criminal accountability, this review organizes current explanations along three levels of inquiry: (1) micro, encompassing characteristics of individual criminal-accountability agents and defendants, such as their partisanship and ideology, professional ethos, enforcement costs and judicial corruption; (2) meso, emphasizing the independence, capacities and coordination degrees of criminal-accountability institutions; and (3) macro, including the impact of political regimes, political competition, support from civil society, corruption levels and international norms. In doing so, we draw attention to methodological shortcomings and opportunities for research on the topic, providing a roadmap for this field of inquiry that also includes unexplored questions and tentative answers. Furthermore, we present new systematic data set that reveals a substantial increase in the conviction of former heads of government for corruption since 2000, underscoring the importance of the phenomenon and highlighting the need for further research into the politics of criminal accountability

PODER DE DECRETO E ACCOUNTABILITY HORIZONTAL: DINÂMICA INSTITUCIONAL DOS TRÊS PODERES E MEDIDAS PROVISÓRIAS NO BRASIL PÓS-1988

O presente artigo pretende articular os estudos sobre as relações entre os poderes Executivo e Legislativocom a bibliografia referente à chamada judicialização da política, de modo a melhor compreender comoprocessam-se os controles horizontais (horizontal accountability) no que diz respeito ao poder de decreto doPresidente brasileiro, no contexto recente de democracia. Para tanto, realiza-se breve apanhado da bibliografiarecente, em Ciência Política brasileira, sobre o papel das medidas provisórias, cotejando-se comanálises tanto quantitativas como qualitativas dos fenômenos observados. Conclui-se pela concordânciacom a tese de acordo com a qual as medidas provisórias facilitam o controle da agenda pelo poder Executivo,havendo pequena obstrução a essa prática tanto pelo Congresso Nacional como pelo Supremo TribunalFederal. As modificações introduzidas pela promulgação da Emenda Constitucional n. 32/2001 permitemobservar, ao contrário do que se poderia pensar, a continuidade desse cenário, em vez de maior controlesobre a atividade legislativa da Presidência da República. Explica-se isso com recurso à observação dadinâmica levada a cabo pelos três poderes do Estado no período anterior à referida emenda, quando jávinham firmando-se os parâmetros que vieram a ser incorporados no adendo à Constituição de 1988,realizado em 2001. A observação dos dados coletados permite essa conclusão, quando não aquela queafirma a diminuição do controle sobre os decretos executivos, em especial no que se refere à concessão deliminares pelo Supremo Tribunal Federal, diminuída após a promulgação da emenda

JUÍZES PROFISSIONAIS? PADRÕES DE CARREIRA DOS INTEGRANTES DAS SUPREMAS CORTES DE BRASIL (1829-2008) E ESTADOS UNIDOS (1789-2008)

O artigo compara os perfis de carreira dos magistrados integrantes das supremas cortes do Brasil e dosEstados Unidos ao longo de toda história política dos dois países. Para tanto, o artigo analisa dadosrelativos à experiência profissional e jurídica e à circulação em cargos junto aos demais poderes doEstado, inclusive de natureza eletiva, previamente à investidura no posto de magistrado da Corte Suprema.Particularmente, esse exame expõe as diferenças e semelhanças quanto aos padrões de profissionalizaçãodos integrantes dos órgãos de cúpula do poder Judiciário nos dois países, permitindo a discussão sobre osfundamentos políticos desse fenômeno no campo jurídico. Em especial, o artigo sugere que períodos deincremento no recrutamento de indivíduos vinculados a profissões propriamente jurídicas ocorrem comorespostas ao fortalecimento de tais tribunais. Ante um novo período de elevada proeminência destasinstituições, indivíduos reconhecidamente qualificados na área passam crescentemente a ser alternativasde legitimação de tais órgãos, seja em contextos de competição, seja em contextos de hegemonia políticade determinados grupos

POP-Brazil study protocol : a nationwide cross-sectional evaluation of the prevalence and genotype distribution on human papillomavirus (HPV) in Brazil

Introduction Human papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with the development of genital warts and different types of cancer, including virtually all cervical cancers and a considerable number of penile, anal and oropharyngeal cancers. Data regarding the prevalence of HPV infection in Brazil are limited and fragmented. We aim to determine HPV prevalence in sexually active women and men aged 16–25 years and to investigate regional differences in virus prevalence and types. Methods and analysis This is a nationwide, multicentric, cross-sectional, prospective study that will include participants aged 16–25 years from all Brazilian capital cities. Recruitment will occur in primary health units by trained health professionals who will be responsible for collecting biological samples and interviewing the volunteers. After signing informed consent, all participants will answer a questionnaire that will collect sociodemographic and behavioural data All samples will be processed in a certified central laboratory, and strict quality control will be performed by many different procedures, including double data entry, training and certification of primary care health professionals responsible for data collection, simulation of interviews, and auditing and monitoring of visits. The sample size will be standardised based on the population distribution of each capital using SAS and R statistical software. Ethics and dissemination The project was approved by the research ethics committee of the main institution and the corresponding ethics committees of the recruitment sites. This will be the first Brazilian nationwide study to determine overall HPV prevalence and to examine regional differences and social, demographic and behavioural factors related to HPV infection. Critical analysis of the study results will contribute to epidemiological knowledge and will set a baseline for future evaluation of the impact of the National HPV Vaccination Program

Asiakaslähtöisen munasolunsaajien hoitoprosessin kehittäminen lapsettomuusklinikalla

Tämä opinnäytetyö oli työelämä lähtöinen kehittämistyö, joka toteutettiin Väestöliiton lapsettomuus klinikoiden Helsingin yksikössä. Tämän kehittämistyön tarkoituksena oli tuottaa uusi asiakaslähtöinen munansolunsaajien hoitoprosessi ja sen myötä parantaa asiakkaiden tyytyväisyyttä saamaansa hoitoon. Kehittämishankkeen tavoitteena oli kartoittaa haastattelemalla munasolunluovutushoidon läpi käyneiden asiakkaiden näkemyksiä nykyisestä hoitoprosessista ja sen asiakaslähtöisyydestä. Tavoitteena oli myös huomioida klinikan kokeneen henkilökunnan ajatuksia hoitoprosessin parantamiseksi. Uuden hoitoprosessin luominen aloitettiin määrittelemällä nykyinen munasolunsaajien hoitoprosessi. Tämän jälkeen kartoitettiin munasolunluovutushoidon läpi käyneiden asiakkaiden näkemyksiä nykyisestä hoitoprosessista, sen asiakaslähtöisyydestä ja heidän ehdotuksia hoitoprosessin parantamiseksi. Analysoitujen haastattelu aineistojen avulla tehtiin hahmotelma uudesta hoitoprosessista. Hahmotelma hoitoprosessista ja haastatteluiden tulokset esiteltiin klinikan henkilökunnalle, joka ideoi näiden pohjalta kehittämiskohteita uuteen hoitoprosessiin. Edellisten vaiheiden jälkeen kehitettiin lopullinen versio uudesta hoitoprosessista. Munasolunluovutushoito on otettu käyttöön Väestöliiton klinikoilla vuonna 1991 ja se on nykyisin yksi standardi lapsettomuudenhoito menetelmä. Munasolunluovutushoito on saajille iso panostus henkisesti ja taloudellisesti. Hoitoprosessin kehittämisellä pyritään siihen, että hoitoprosessin toimimattomuuden takia he eivät joutuisi uusien pettymysten eteen. Terveydenhuollossa on ymmärretty viime vuosina asiakaslähtöisyyden tärkeys niin Suomessa, kuin maailmallakin. Opinnäytetyön lähestymistapana oli toimintatutkimus. Aineistonkeruu menetelmänä oli munasolunluovutushoidossa olleiden asiakkaiden teemahaastattelu. Tämän lisäksi henkilökunnan ehdotuksia hoitoprosessin kehittämiseksi kartoitettiin aivoriihi ideoinnin avulla. Teemahaastatteluun osallistui kahdeksan asiakasta ja haastatteluaineisto analysoitiin induktiivisella sisällön analyysilla. Aivoriihi ideoinnin tuloksena syntyneet ideat pisteytettiin, ryhmiteltiin ja yhdisteltiin samaa tarkoittaviin ideoihin. Tämän jälkeen aineistosta muodostettiin uusi hoitoprosessi. Haastatteluaineiston tulosten mukaan asiakaslähtöisyys on empaattista vuorovaikutusta ja asiakkaan kokonaisuuden huomioimista. Asiakkaat kokivat nykyisen hoitoprosessin sujuvana, mutta toisaalta kokivat siihen sisältyvän hallitsemattomuutta. Hyvänä nykyisessä hoitoprosessissa he kokivat tulosten mukaan olevan empaattisen ja yksilöllisen kohtaamisen ja hoitoprosessin yksilöllisyyden. Monipuolisiin palveluihin, hoitoprosessin yksilölliseen suunnitteluun ja psyykkiseen taakkaan tulisi tulosten mukaan kiinnittää huomiota uutta hoitoprosessia laadittaessa. Suomessa ei ole tehty tutkimuksia asiakaslähtöisyydestä lapsettomuushoitoihin liittyen. Ulkomaisista tutkimuksista on saatu samansuuntaisia tuloksia asiakaslähtöisyydestä lapsettomuushoitoihin liittyen kuin tässä opinnäytetyössä. Se osoittaa samojen asioiden olevan tärkeitä lapsettomuuspotilaille maan rajoista huolimatta. Jatkossa Väestöliiton klinikoilla tulisi tehdä seurantaa, siitä miten uuden hoitoprosessin käyttöönotto on mennyt.This thesis is the result of a workplace based development project implemented at the Väestöliitto fertility clinic in Helsinki. The goal of the project was to develop a new patient centred ovum donation process which would increase patients’ satisfaction with their care. The aim of the project was to survey thoughts of patients who had gone through the ovum donation process with regard to the current treatment process and its patient centeredness. The expertise of the more experienced employees of the clinic was to be taken into consideration throughout the development project. The development of the new process began by defining the current care process for ovum donation recipients. Following this, the ovum donation recipients were interviewed for their thoughts of the current care process and its patient centeredness. The patients were asked for suggestions for the improvement of the care process. Following an analysis of the intelligence gathered from the interviews, an outline for a new patient care process was drafted. The analysis of the intelligence and the new patient care process were presented to the clinic employees at a staff event. The goal of the event was to encourage the employees to brainstorm ideas for improving patient centeredness and thus enabling them to take part in developing the improved patient care process. Following the event, with the new ideas gathered, the final care process was developed. The ovum donation treatments started in 1991 at Väestöliitto fertility clinic and it is today one of the standard treatment methods for infertility. The treatment method requires a significant financial and psychological input from the recipients. The patients treated by this method have usually suffered from infertility for several years already, and have experienced many disappointments whilst going through previous infertility treatments. The aim of developing the new, improved patient care process, is that a poor design of the care process would not add to the disappointments that the patient may experience. The value of patient centeredness has been realised in Finland and all over the world in the recent years. The approach for this thesis was an action research method. The data was collected by interviewing patients and by executing a brainstorming event with the personnel. Eight patients who had undergone ovum donation were interviewed by an individual theme interview method. The data was analysed by inductive content analysis. The new ideas collected during the brainstorming ses-sion were categorised into groups based on their similarities and differences. By using a points system, the ideas and categories were analysed and the most significant ideas were utilized in the design of the new care process. The results of the patient interviews show that patient centeredness is empathic interaction and entire consideration of the patient. The patients felt that the current care process was fluent, but uncontrollable. Positive things in the current treatment process were empathic and individual encounter with the caregivers and the individuality of the treatment process. According to analysed data, a diverse range of treatment methods, individual planning of the treatment process, and the psychological burden of the treatments are things which should be taken carefully into account when planning new treatment processes. Previous studies show similar results about patient centerednes