Conflict, Legitimacy and Government Reform: Equitable Allocation of ...
Conflict, Legitimacy and Government Reform: Equitable Allocation of ...
Conflict, Legitimacy and Government Reform: Equitable Allocation of ...
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100 KPI Congress XI<br />
government investigation leading to a number <strong>of</strong><br />
institutionalized measures <strong>of</strong> transparency <strong>and</strong> accountability.<br />
L<strong>and</strong>mark events like these, facilitated by people’s use <strong>of</strong> the<br />
right to information, have had a pr<strong>of</strong>ound impact in the<br />
whole State. Slowly but surely, corruption in public works has<br />
been curtailed. 12<br />
Requiring civil servants to declare assets: In the past few years,<br />
the Bulgarian government has instituted a requirement <strong>of</strong> judges<br />
to file a declaration <strong>of</strong> assets. Judges must now report their<br />
property <strong>and</strong> income on an annual basis beginning with their<br />
appointment <strong>and</strong> ending upon their departure. Filing a<br />
declaration <strong>of</strong> assets may deter the acquisition <strong>of</strong> improper<br />
income while serving on the bench. It will clearly force judges to<br />
declare their home <strong>and</strong> major personal possessions, such as an<br />
automobile. The Supreme Judicial Council’s Anti-Corruption<br />
Committee has authority, along with the National Audit Office,<br />
to verify information about the existence <strong>of</strong> serious differences<br />
between the judges’ declared assets <strong>and</strong> acquired assets. 13<br />
2. Enhancing Performance <strong>of</strong> those Organizations which<br />
Hold <strong>Government</strong> Accountable<br />
A strong, vibrant <strong>and</strong> organized civil society can be critical to<br />
enhancing equitable allocation <strong>of</strong> resources. Civil society organizations<br />
hold the potential to both strengthen <strong>and</strong> challenge the capacity <strong>of</strong><br />
governments to pursue equitable allocation <strong>of</strong> resources. Some specific<br />
approaches include the following:<br />
Social accountability processes such as citizen report cards:<br />
For example, the Public Affairs Centre in Bangalore leads a<br />
process where citizens rate various pubic services over time. The<br />
12 CHIMNI, B.S. “Co-option <strong>and</strong> Resistance: Two Faces <strong>of</strong> Global Administrative<br />
Law”, International Law <strong>and</strong> Politics, Vol. 37, no 399, October 2006, p. 810, http://<br />
www.iilj.org/GAL/documents/CO-OPTIONANDRESISTANCETWOFACESOF.pdf<br />
13 American Bar Association, Judicial <strong>Reform</strong> Index for Bulgaria Volume II, April<br />
2004, p. 31.