Today, Tanzania is experiencing a tremendous growth of internet penetration and teledensity of which are increasingly bridging the digital divide in the country. These information technologies need to be taped to enable more people to raise their voices on corruption cases confidentiality and without fears.
This essay gives a short description on the Acts put to work in Tanzania, to work against corruption.
Table of Contents
1.0 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION
2.0 PROBLEM STATEMEN
3.0 THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
3.1 General goal
3.2 Specific objectives
4.0 STAKEHOLDERS
5.0 BUDGET LINE
6.0 TIMELINE
7.0 CONCLUSION
Research Objectives and Focus Areas
The primary objective of this paper is to explore how the strategic application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can be utilized to strengthen corruption whistle-blowing mechanisms in Tanzania, specifically addressing the barriers of fear and lack of anonymity that prevent citizens from reporting offenses.
- Analysis of the current landscape of corruption reporting in Tanzania.
- Evaluation of ICT potential in enhancing anonymous and secure reporting.
- Identification of key stakeholders and their roles in promoting ICT-based anti-corruption initiatives.
- Development of strategies to improve institutional capacity for processing digital evidence.
- Assessment of the impact of social media and mobile technology on public participation.
Excerpt from the Publication
1.0 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Corruption is the abuse of entrusted powers for private gains. It involves bureaucrats, elected, public servants or interested clients inside or outside the public or private organization (Klitgaard 1988; Benerjee et al. 2011). The Tanzania’s Prevention and Combating of Corruption Act (2007) categorizes corruption offences to include obtaining, or giving advantage; misleading with documents; embezzlement; corruption conspiracies and abuse of position.
Klitgaard (1988) summed up his perspective on the causes of corruption that “Corruption equals monopoly plus discretion minus accountability.” This perspective implies that, corruption flourishes where someone who is largely unaccountable, has a monopoly and discretionary powers over a good or service to other people. Thus, the successful anti-corruption efforts, therefore, should reduce monopolies, limit and clarify discretion, and raise accountability.
In Tanzania, corruption is affecting various sectors of the economy. At the micro level, it affects the daily life of the individuals by increasing the costs of living, causing injustice and degrading human rights. This type of corruption hurts the poorest members of society, who experience the requests for bribes regularly when seeking services like medication, licenses, police and court services. This is termed as petty corruption.
At the macro level, it eludes democracy, increase government costs, erodes reputation and integrity of the public service and hampers the national development programs. Corruption at this level is termed as grand corruption and it involves top officials and uses the huge amount of money (The Presidential Commission Against Corruption, 1996).
Summary of Chapters
1.0 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Provides a definition of corruption and examines the socio-economic impact of petty and grand corruption within the Tanzanian context.
2.0 PROBLEM STATEMEN: Discusses the inefficiency of current reporting systems, highlighting that fear of retaliation and lack of anonymity prevent the public from exposing corruption.
3.0 THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: Defines the main goal of leveraging ICTs to strengthen whistle-blowing and outlines specific objectives and required activities for implementation.
4.0 STAKEHOLDERS: Identifies key groups, including the government, media, and private sector, and defines their specific responsibilities in supporting ICT-driven anti-corruption efforts.
5.0 BUDGET LINE: Outlines the financial considerations necessary to support community education, technical consulting, and infrastructure development for reporting systems.
6.0 TIMELINE: Proposes a continuous and cyclical campaign model, emphasizing the need for regular evaluation of performance indicators.
7.0 CONCLUSION: Concludes that ICTs represent a significant opportunity to bridge the digital divide and provide the necessary anonymity to encourage corruption reporting.
Keywords
Corruption, Whistle-blowing, Information and Communication Technologies, ICTs, Tanzania, Accountability, Transparency, Digital footprint, Public service, Anonymity, Anti-corruption, Governance, Social media, Reporting system, Corruption prevention.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this paper?
The paper focuses on the potential of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to modernize and strengthen the corruption reporting process in Tanzania.
What are the primary themes addressed?
The central themes include the negative impacts of corruption, the barriers to reporting such as fear of retaliation, and the strategic use of mobile technology and internet platforms to facilitate anonymous reporting.
What is the main goal of the research?
The main goal is to strengthen corruption whistle-blowing in Tanzania by creating awareness and increasing the number of reported cases through the use of ICTs.
Which scientific methodology is proposed?
The proposal suggests a multi-faceted approach involving community education, strengthening of legal/institutional networks, and the implementation of digital tracking systems for evidence collection.
What does the main body cover?
The main body covers the problem statement, specific objectives for improvement, stakeholder roles, budget requirements, and the timeline for the campaign.
Which keywords define this research?
Key terms include corruption, whistle-blowing, ICTs, transparency, accountability, and anonymity.
How does this paper address the fear of whistle-blowers?
It emphasizes that providing assurance of confidentiality and anonymity through secure ICT channels is essential to encourage people to report corruption without fear of victimization.
Why is the "digital divide" mentioned in the context of corruption?
The paper argues that ICTs can bridge the gap between ordinary citizens and government institutions, thereby democratizing the process of holding officials accountable.
What is the role of stakeholders like mobile providers?
Mobile telephone service providers are encouraged to allow free communication, such as voice calls and SMS, specifically for the purpose of reporting corruption.
- Citar trabajo
- MSc in Information Technology & Management Ireneus Mathias (Autor), 2017, Strenthening corruption whistleblowing by using ICTs in Tanzania, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/351918
