This study extends a framework informed by the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to examine perceived corrupt behavioral intention (PCBI) through external stakeholders’ appraisals. PCBI is interpreted as an indirect appraisal of officials’ corrupt intentions, operationalized through perceived corruption likelihood. Social influence (SI) captures corruption-related societal perceptions and is modeled as an antecedent of attitude toward officials (ATT), reflecting service evaluations, and perceived behavioral control (PBC), representing institutional-control beliefs. Descriptive norm (DN), operationalized as perceived effectiveness of anti-corruption laws and institutional arrangements, moderates the mediator-to-PCBI paths. We analyzed 2023 cross-sectional data from 603 self-employed individuals and respondents working in private firms in South Korea, all of whom reported work-related contact with public officials. We used conditional-process regression and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Both analyses supported positive direct associations between officials-focused SI and PCBI, together with positive indirect associations through less favorable ATT and weaker PBC. Citizen-focused SI showed positive direct and ATT-mediated associations. At mean DN, its negative PBC-mediated association was statistically significant in regression; the corresponding PLS-SEM estimate was not statistically significant. ATT and PBC were negatively associated with PCBI. Higher DN strengthened the negative ATT–PCBI association and weakened the negative PBC–PCBI association. The PLS-SEM model explained 36
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) not only sets anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) standards but also communicates policy priorities through the language of its annual reports. This study examines FATF Annual Reports from 2009 to 2024 using Voyant Tools' built-in sentiment categories. Positive and negative word use is normalized by total word count to construct a yearly Normalized Sentiment Index (NSI). The findings are interpreted across four broad policy contexts: a compliance-centred and technical register in 2009–2013, a cautious proportionality and implementation-oriented period in 2014–2016, a collaboration and innovation narrative in 2017–2020, and a period of institutional self-assessment and digital cooperation in 2021–2024. The series shows positive NSI values across all fifteen reporting cycles, ranging from +0.0025 to +0.0160, with relatively high values in 2021–2022 (+0.0151) and 2023–2024 (+0.0155). These variations should not be read as direct measures of FATF effectiveness or policy impact. Rather, they indicate changes in communicative orientation and narrative emphasis. Interpreted through policy signalling, legitimacy, and experimentalist governance, the findings suggest that FATF annual reports function as policy-relevant texts that signal priorities, manage institutional legitimacy, and frame implementation expectations for regulators, financial institutions, compliance professionals, non-profit organizations (NPOs), and other stakeholders. The study provides a reproducible baseline for monitoring how transnational regulatory discourse evolves alongside changing AML/CFT priorities, including proportionality, de-risking, financial inclusion, NPO oversight, and digital governance.
This paper examines the evolutionary trajectories of procurement corruption networks by proposing a dynamic model grounded in two comparative case studies from Brazil and Canada. Moving beyond static conceptions of corruption, we conceptualize corruption networks as adaptive organizational forms that evolve in response to internal dynamics and external pressures. The model identifies three sequential phases—embryonic, sophistication, and fragmentation—and distinct trajectories, ranging from early decline to increased sophistication. Each trajectory reflects potential configurations of strategic tasks performed at varying intensities and in various ways (such as organizing members, generating rents, and evading control) throughout the network’s lifecycle, as well as shifts in environmental threats and opportunities. By analyzing how corruption networks transition between phases and adapt their structure, we shed light on the contextual variables that sustain or destabilize corruption networks over time. The findings contribute to the literature on corruption as a process and provide insights into targeted anticorruption strategies that account for the life cycle of corruption networks.
Domestic violence has a far reaching negative impact on the individual and society. Domestic violence has been normalized in the structure of society across Bangladesh. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence from informal justice systems regarding the structural violence that happens in patriarchal society. To fill this gap, this research describes the dynamics of domestic violence cases in the informal justice system from the perspective of patriarchal terrorism. Using cross-sectional and time-series data, this research has analyzed 672 cases that have been filed from 2017 to 2023. The complaints are predominantly linked to low income, lack of education, and lack of income sources. This study also found that 96.6
Notwithstanding the fact that corruption is a global phenomenon, Nigeria is suffering from a growing, intractable corruption-problem, which increasingly threatens its economy, development, potentials, reputation, security, and investment sector. The ratings of Nigeria on Corruption Perception Index (CPI) and the media (electronic, print, and social), which are fraught with corrupt malfeasance by public office holders in Nigeria, are pointers to widespread corruption in the country. This paper, therefore, x-rays the public view of corruption in the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), a para-military agency in the country. Utilizing quantitative approach of research, a sample of 1,110 respondents were drawn from Enugu State. Multi-stage, simple random, and purposive sampling techniques were used to reach the respondents. Questionnaire served as the only instrument for data collection. After the administration of instrument, data were sorted, coded, and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square. Findings indicate that while bribery and extortion were the most corrupt acts of the agency, the hydra-dreaded monster, corruption is most prevalent and experienced in the road operations of the agency. This paper recommends inter-alia, a stiffer penal system, which will serve as a strong deterrent measure to discourage potential corrupt elements and looters of the country’s resources.
