Some things are rarely discussed in public – on the discourse of corruption in healthcare; comment on “we need to talk about corruption in health systems”

In an editorial titled “We Need to Talk About Corruption in Health Systems” the authors Hutchinson, Balabanova, and McKee hope to encourage a wider conversation about corruption in the health sector. Such conversations are difficult to hold for at least five reasons; it is hard to define corruption; corruption may allow some fragile health systems to subsist, shifting blame – are those involved in anti-corruption research colluding with corrupt officials; the legitimacy of studying corruption; and, that far too little is known about how to tackle corruption. This commentary explores those reasons and concludes that the authors make a strong case for a more open and directed discussion about corruption

Some Things Are Rarely Discussed in Public – on the Discourse of Corruption in Healthcare; Comment on “We Need to Talk About Corruption in Health Systems”

In an editorial titled “We Need to Talk About Corruption in Health Systems” the authors Hutchinson, Balabanova, and McKee hope to encourage a wider conversation about corruption in the health sector. Such conversations are difficult to hold for at least five reasons; it is hard to define corruption; corruption may allow some fragile health systems to subsist, shifting blame – are those involved in anti-corruption research colluding with corrupt officials; the legitimacy of studying corruption; and, that far too little is known about how to tackle corruption. This commentary explores those reasons and concludes that the authors make a strong case for a more open and directed discussion about corruption

The evolution of security industry regulation in the European Union

The European private security sector has grown from a handful of small companies at the end of the Second World War into a multi-billion Euro industry with thousands of firms and millions of security staff. In Europe the demands for security is not just expressed notionally but also officially in The European Agenda on Security stating the European Union aims to ensure that people live in an area of freedom, security and justice. This paper will begin by exploring the role of private security in society. It will then move on to consider the main phases in the development of private security regulation in Europe. Following on from this some of the main areas of policy development will be considered, such as European bodies, initiatives and standards. Finally the paper will explore some of the potential op tions for the future in better regulating the European private security sector. From a historical perspective the evolution of private security regulation can be divided into three phases; the Laissez- faire, the centrifugal and the centripetal era - each with its own distinct characteristics and impact on the concurrent industry. In the European Union where there is the legal framework for the development of a single market in services the key social partners have been at the forefront of developing a series of standards and guidance documents which promote standards across borders at the European level. However, the institutions of the European Union have been reluctant to intervene at a European level in setting minimum standards of private security regulation. Thus, the changing terrain of the European Union relating to security, regulation and the private security industry mean the current trajectory may be in need of an injection of more radical thought and consideration

Norms, values and corruption - a case study of an EU procurement process in an African country

This chapter will explore the role of morality in corruption, going down a route of examining corruption in the procurement process using a somewhat uncommonly applied axiological lens. It will establish the aspiring diction of the EU in terms of corruption as an expression of a moral high ground on how to intellectually deal with the phenomenon. Problems arise when rhetoric is translated to reality, illustrated by delineating the EU moral stance on corruption and looking how this relates to a case study of corruption in the procurement process. It is argued that universal moral laws do exist, however, they must be dealt with differently in the highly varied cultural context of the world—as long as one remembers, acknowledges and takes into consideration those laws

The private healthcare insurance sector: a victim of fraud

Regardless of the jurisdiction research has repeatedly highlighted that the ‘public’ see the insurance sector as an acceptable business to defraud. This article builds on this work but is different in that we draw on primary research, of which there is little, into the private healthcare insurance sector as a victim of fraud. We start by highlighting the types and volumes of fraud that the insurance sector encounters. This is followed with an examination of policing private insurance fraud in a neo-liberal context where individuals and organisations are responsible for risks. Then, we consider if the private healthcare insurance sector is precipitating and participating in its own victimisation. The methods used in this research to secure data are then explained. Finally we analyse how the key elements of the data might point to the private healthcare insurance sector potentially precipitating and participating in its own victimisation

Comparing private security regulation in the European Union

This paper examines the regulatory systems for the private security industry in the European Union (EU). Building upon other studies to compare regulatory systems it proposes a much more sophisticated approach to assess the quality of regulatory systems using 22 different criteria based on two areas: legislation and societal foundations. From this analysis a maximum of 100 points are possible and the paper is able to rank 26 of the 28 member states of the EU. The league table ranks Belgium and Spain as having the most comprehensive regulatory systems in the EU. The paper then provides analysis of some of the key findings from the league table noting some of the implications. One of the most important of which is the substantial differences between member states and the challenges this poses for an effective single market in the provision of security services

Utländska förvärvares påverkan på budpremien - en studie på den svenska aktiemarknaden

Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka huruvida det existerar en så kallad cross border effekt. Det vill säga om det förekommer en positiv effekt, i form av att premien blir högre, när utländska företag förvärvar svenska. Vi ämnar även undersöka ett antal andra, i förväg bestämda, variabler som påverkar premiens storlek. Metod: För att uppfylla uppsatsens syfte har vi valt att genomföra en kvantitativ studie. Vi antar en deduktiv ansats då det finns teorier som är relevanta för vår studie. För att undersöka variablernas påverkan på budpremien utför vi regressionsanalyser. Teori: Vi använder oss av teorin om hybris samt teorin om synergi, och utnyttjar valda fragment från teorierna när vi analyserar våra data. Vidare utnyttjas tidigare studier som bland annat behandlar fenomenet växelkurseffekten samt branschers påverkan på premien. Analys och empiri: Vi analyserar våra variabler: nationalitet, börsvärde, betalningssätt samt bransch och deras påverkan på budpremiens storlek. Vidare undersöks huruvida det föreligger en skillnad i premie mellan utländska och inhemska förvärv. Slutsatser: Våra resultat visar att det förekommer en cross-border effekt vid förvärv över gränserna, nationaliteten är genomgående signifikant i våra regressionsanalyser. Vidare konstateras det att både börsvärde och branschtyp inverkar på premiens storlek. Till skillnad från majoriteten tidigare studier påträffar vi dock ingen signifikans för variabeln betalningssätt. Vi upptäcker även att valutakursen har en viss verkan på antal förvärv och drar därmed slutsatsen att en valutakurseffekt existerar