Anti-Corruption Policies against State Capture

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

In the tenth Corruption Assessment Report, the Center for the Study of Democracy provides an overview of the state of corruption and anticorruption in Bulgaria in 2013 – 2014. The report is produced within the framework of the Southeast Europe Leadership for Development and Integrity initiative (SELDI), which provides a comparative perspective for nine countries in Southeast Europe (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey). The report’s findings are based on the state-of-the-art Corruption Monitoring System, and are complemented with recommendations on anti-corruption policies. The report argues that Bulgaria needs bold institutional anti-corruption reforms and personal commitment at the highest level in the judiciary and the executive to tackle state capture and wide-spread administrative corruption.

Monitoring of Anti-Corruption Reforms in Bulgaria

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

The assessment of the effectiveness of anticorruption policies and trends in the spread of corruption is a key element of the Strategy for Transparent Governance and Counteraction of Corruption for the period 2006-2008 adopted by the Bulgarian Government. The Bulgarian Government’s 2006 Program for the implementation of this Strategy envisions the development of a system of indicators to monitor progress and actual impact. The System of Indicators was developed by the Center for the Study of Democracy based on the best European and world practices and primarily draws on the experience gained in Bulgaria in the period between 1997 and 2006 from the implementation of the Corruption Monitoring System developed by the CSD within the Coalition 2000 anticorruption initiative. The indicators for the evaluation of the results from the measures to counteract corruption and to enhance the transparency of government differ by type and methods of data collection and analysis: The first set of indicators reflects the adequacy, effectiveness, timeliness, implementation progress, etc., of the measures outlined in the Strategy and the Program. Another group of indicators aims to evaluate the social environment factors directly affecting the level of corruption and governance transparency. A third group of indicators show the effect of the implemented programs and measures by monitoring their outcomes and impact. These are of greatest value in assessing the effectiveness of anticorruption policies and the prevention and counteraction of corruption. As a follow up, CSD has published a policy brief on the need for a Europe-wide initiative to develop a corruption benchmarking instrument for the EU. Its purpose is to suggest ways of utilizing the experience with corruption monitoring and measuring during Bulgaria’s accession to the Union.

Скритата икономика в България

Author(s): Antoaneta Gancheva,Boris Petrov,Elka Yakimova,Yordan Kalchev,Konstantin Pashev,Lyubomir Dimitrov,Petkan Iliev,Tihomir Bezlov,Todor Todorov / Language(s): Bulgarian

According to international estimates the share of the hidden economy worldwide accounts for 10-12% of global GDP. In the transition economies however hidden economy reaches one fourth of GDP. Economic analyses show that if the share of the hidden sector exceeds a critical level (around 50% of GDP) it changes the ‘rules of the game’ in the whole economy. In Bulgaria the tax and tax enforcement burden, ineffective enforcement of laws and administrative barriers for businesses are the main factors stimulating informal economic activities. The publication presents the latest trends and challenges of the hidden economy to the private and public sector. It describes the various manifestations of the hidden economy and assesses its size, scope and characteristics in Bulgaria through six different methods. The publication underscores the necessity of international cooperation in the area of hidden economy. The authors conclude with recommendations for improvement of the legislative and regulatory framework for the business and its implementation. The publication includes contributions from experts of the National Social Security Institute, the Bulgarian National Bank, the National Statistical Institute, the Agency for Economic Analysis and Forecasting and the Center for Study of Democracy.

Корупционни практики и превенция на корупцията. Учебно помагало

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

Countering corruption is part of the efforts to build democratic public institutions and streanghtening the role of the civil society. The achieved results in preventing corrupt practices are important to measure the success of the transition and introduce modern stadarnds of transparency and democratic control. The present manual, developed by the CSD in the framework of the project Prevention of Corruption in the Security Forces, aims to promote anti-corruption education as an important instrument to prevent corruption. The reader is specifically designed for the curricula of the military high schools in Bulgaria.

Неформалната икономика в страните – кандидатки за членство в Европейския съюз

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

The conference report with papers and articles about the informal economy in the accession countries is published in the framework of the project "The Informal Economy in the EU Accession Countries: Size, Scope, Trends and Challenges in the Process of EU Enlargement". It includes papers presented at an International informal economy conference, organized by the Center for the Study of Democracy on 29th and 30th of November, 2002 in Sofia. The first part presents the size, scope and methods for grey economy assessment in the transition and accession countries. The second part is dedicated to the consequences and development of the practical responses in the sphere of the institutional reform and the policy for counteracting the informal economy. The relationship between the informal economy and the organized crime is analyzed as well.

В търсене на механизми за по-добър корпоративен контрол

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

The reader is a new initiative in the Center for the Study of Democracy’s efforts to create conditions for more information and wider implementation of the best practices of corporate control. It is published in the framework of the Coalition 2000 anticorruption series, describing and promoting the mechanisms and practices to counteract the corruption. In a wider sense the reader is a continuation of the Corporate Governance Initiative which has prepared an Action Plan with recommendations for legislative and practical measures in the sphere of corporate control and a Corporate Governance Assessment Report which makes an attempt to do a quantity estimation based on a number of indicators.

Информационни технологии срещу корупцията

Author(s): / Language(s): Bulgarian

The reader is the latest edition of anti-corruption series of Coalition 2000 to which CSD serves as Secretariat. The reader is published by one of the Coalition 2000's founding organizations - Applied Research and Communication Fund. It addresses the role of Information Technologies (IT) in public sector reform. It focuses on "the information age" and addresses the need for a comprehensive administrative reform agenda integrated with use of IT. The authors discuss some critical issues that emerge in the process of administrative reform. They provide evidence and figures suggesting that government and public sector organizations are ill-prepared for "the information age". In fact, many existing organizational structures, hierarchies and procedures in government were designed for a different era. IT, together with greater transparency, flatter organizational structures, and simpler procedures can help tackle some of the maladies of government. When used strategically IT can reduce red-tape, improve the quality of citizen-government interface, and increase transparency and public accountability. The reader offers the following definitions : -what it means to "reinvent government in the information age"; -what new models emerge when explaining the success and failure of any reform effort; -practical guidelines on how to improve the process of reform; -international case studies analyzing different aspects of technology-assisted public sector reform. The message to the Bulgarian reader is that electronic networks make government services and operations much more transparent, but they can also lead to new forms of corruption. Such immediate consequences should be considered in the development of administrative reform strategies aimed at combating corruption in Bulgaria.

Борба срещу корупцията и злоупотребите в публичната администрация

Author(s): / Language(s): Bulgarian

Combating Corruption and Fraud in the Public Administration is titled the new anticorruption reader of Coalition 2000's series, called Clear Future. It addresses wide range of readers - civil servants, representatives of legislative and judiciary, students, academicians and NGOs, which contribute in overcoming the corruption problem in Bulgarian society. The first section contains an introduction to the Bulgarian edition by Ms. Svilena Simeonova and Mr. Valeri Dimitrov. The second section outlines the outcomes of various research, recommendations and measures to combat corruption in the public sector developed by the American expert Peter Jones. Detailed consideration is given to the circumstances and the environment, contributing to the development of fraud and corruption in public administration and the role of auditors and auditing as levers in combating these events. The third section presents the European Principles for Public Administration, which would be of great use in implementing public sector reforms in the context of Bulgaria's EU accession negotiations. The reader is published with the support of USAID.

Измерване и наблюдение на корупцията: световната практика и българският опит

Author(s): / Language(s): Bulgarian

The reader includes both original treatments and translated texts. It presents the corruption monitoring system of Coalition 2000, with a focus on corruption indexes. The latter represent the Coalition's creative contribution to the attempt to monitor the fluctuations of public ideas and attitudes to this phenomenon. The translated materials include the methodology and indexes of Transparency International, the Bribe Payers Index developed by this international organization and a Corruption Index according to countries. The reader also contains a translation of Graf Lambsdorf's Empirical Studies of Corruption. In addition to the materials of Transparency International, the reader also contains a Global Program against Corruption of the Centre for International Crime Prevention, the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Institute.

Международни актове за противодействие на корупцията

Author(s): / Language(s): Bulgarian

In his preface to the reader the former Chairman of the National Assembly Yordan Sokolov writes: "After manifestations of corruption and organized crime in Bulgaria were virtually tolerated for a long time due to taking only half-hearted measures, the fight against these criminal manifestations has become a priority task of the legislative and executive after the changes which took place in early 1997." The reader includes the main acts for countering corruption of the Council of Europe, the European Union and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The great interest sparked by the reader affirms its usefulness, especially within the context of the harmonization of domestic legislation with European law.

Прирачник за застапување засновано на податоци

Author(s): Ana Blazheva,Jordan Šišovski ,Branimir Jovanović,Kalina Lechevska,Viktorija Borovska,Artan Sadiku / Language(s): Macedonian

4th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON GOVERNANCE AND STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT "ICGSM"

Author(s): / Language(s): English

The conference proceedings “ 4th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON GOVERNANCE AND STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT “ICGSM” are a collection of the papers presented by the lecturers and PhD students – participants in the 4-th International Conference on Governance and Strategic Management (ICGSM).

ПОЛИТИКИ И ИНСТРУМЕНТИ ЗА СОЦИАЛНО РАЗВИТИЕ

Author(s): Venelin Terziev / Language(s): Bulgarian

The subject of the study are social policies and instruments as a basis for development and capacity building for effective social assistance. The aim is to create and verify an applied scientific theory for social development and to develop and adapt scientific models for increasing the efficiency of social assistance aimed at developing and improving social policy, social enterprises and training of social work professionals through continuing vocational training.

Търговия 4.0 - наука, практика и образование. Сборник с доклади

Author(s): / Language(s): English,Bulgarian,Russian

The jubilee international scientific conferences organized by the Economics and Management of Commerce Department at University of Economics-Varna every five years are a long-standing tradition that has proven its place and importance for the academic community. The current conference "Commerce 4.0 - science, practice and education" is dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the Economics and Management of Commerce Department and the 70th anniversary of the “Economics and Commerce” specialty. The celebration of the anniversaries is reason to commemorate with gratitude the founders of the University and the Economics and Management of Commerce Department, who have realized the fundamental role of commerce for the development of the economy and the society as a whole, as well as to pay due attention to the current problems in the development of the theory and commercial practice.

Ścieżki rozwoju miast województwa łódzkiego

Author(s): Jagoda Guz / Language(s): Polish

The publication concerns urban development and its factors. The author has attempted to identify the conditions of urban development from a dynamic perspective, on the basis of the towns of the Łódź Voivodeship (excluding Łódź) – since their foundation until 2011. The topic has been analysed in three categories: sociocultural, economic and administrative. Based on the results, the author created her own typology of urban development paths of the towns studied. The method of identifying and analysing urban development paths described in the book can be used as a research tool by other academic centres and may also inspire a relevant comparative study.

The Kremlin Playbook in Europe

Author(s): Ognian Shentov,Ruslan Stefanov,Martin Vladimirov / Language(s): English

The Kremlin Playbook in Europe analyzes the tools and methods used by Russia to exercise its influence on the continent. In particular, it shows how the Kremlin enjoys considerable surrogate power in some countries because of the oligarchization of their governance systems. It also highlights the effect of blinkered national policies which grant Russian capital access to European financial hubs. The report argues for a common transatlantic approach in the face of these threats. The report expands the map of Russia’s footprint built by previous Kremlin Playbooks, which examined Russia’s attempts to capture political and economic decision-making in sixteen European countries, by analyzing Greece and Cyprus. Their strategic location in the southeast of Europe and the eastern Mediterranean, common religious traditions, and historic ties make them an object of influence operations by the Kremlin.

The Kremlin Playbook in Southeast Europe: Economic Influence and Sharp Power

Author(s): Ruslan Stefanov,Martin Vladimirov / Language(s): English

The weakening of the EU gravitational pull leaves a power vacuum in Southeast Europe that is readily filled in by authoritarian powers such as Russia. The Kremlin is taking advantage of the democratic backsliding and the widespread state capture among dysfunctional institutions to enhance its economic and political influence in the region. While Russian economic power in Southeast Europe has visibly declined since the imposition of EU and NATO sanctions on the Kremlin in 2014, its overall ability to influence domestic politics has remained potent and has even gained effectiveness. Russia has preserved its sway over strategic decision-making in the region most notably in the energy sector where it has locked governments in costly infrastructure projects. By exploiting governance deficits, the Russian economic footprint has expanded to include some of the biggest companies in the region in oil refining, wholesale fuel and natural gas distribution, telecommunications and retail. Their strategic importance for the national economies in Southeast Europe has provided Russia with an outsized political leverage. To amplify its influence, Russia has aptly employed a range of sharp power instruments such as media propaganda, leveraging cultural and religious ties and sponsoring of civil society activities. This report looks into the Kremlin playbook instruments in eight Southeast European countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.

Evaluating Governance and Corruption Risk in Bulgaria

Author(s): Ruslan Stefanov,Stefan Karaboev,Todor Yalamov / Language(s): English

Corruption continues to be one of the main social problems for Bulgaria a decade after the country’s EU accession. The Bulgarian public is one of the few in Europe, which trusts EU institutions more than its own government to find a sustainable solution to this problem. Making sure the mechanisms of EU conditionality and public procurement support deliver on these high expectations is of paramount importance for delivering a lasting solution to Bulgaria’s rule of law problems. As part of the largest ever team of social sciences and humanities in Europe – ANTICORRP.eu, CSD has developed two case studies, which help explain the key risks of corruption in the public procurement market in construction and the way the EU has impacted Bulgarian progress on anti-corruption.

Civil Society in Bulgaria: Between Social Entrepreneurship and State Capture

Author(s): Todor Yalamov,Maria Doichinova / Language(s): English

This publication analyses the changes in the third sector during the 2010 – 2013 period and at the same time outlines the positive practices in the social entrepreneurship as well as the risks that reduce the chances for nongovernmental organisations to effectively impact the democracy and well-being of Bulgaria.

Завръщащите се мигранти: европейски и български перспективи

Author(s): / Language(s): English,Bulgarian

In this collection are published papers presented at the scientific conference “Return Migration: European and Bulgarian perspectives”, held on 28 February 2020 at the University of National and World Economy (UNWE) . The co-organizers of the scientific conference were the Department of Economic Sociology at the University of National and World Economy and the Economic Research Institute at the Bulgarian Academy of Science. The scientific conference is organized under a project financed with funds for research of UNWE under contract № NP-15/2019. The goal of the conference was to gather contributions to the conference from researchers, analysts, political practitioners and PhD students in the following thematic areas: i) Return migration: state-of-the-art theories and research ii) Migration trajectories and return: factors and motivational structures iii) Segmentation and stratification of returnees iv) Returnees’ impact on Bulgarian economy and society v) Institutional context, legal frame and policies for return migration and reintegration of returnees.