Abstract

The fight against corruption has become a global priority in policy making circles, as corruption control grew to become a major industry backed by international alignment to curb corruption, especially in developing countries ridden with systemic corruption. Egypt, among other developing countries, is struggling in the fight against corruption, as a tool to promote investment and aid development progress. The Administrative Control Authority (ACA), the main anti-corruption body in Egypt, is the subject of this research. The research regards corruption as a collective action problem and utilizes the National Integrity System (NIS) – developed by Transparency International – as a conceptual framework to understand the extent to which the ACA is enabled to fulfill its mandate. Methodology includes semi-structured interviews with government officials in ACA and experts in international anti-corruption organizations. Qualitative data is analyzed based on three key dimensions, according to the Anti-Corruption Agencies pillar of the NIS; role of ACA in fighting corruption; governance mechanisms within the ACA that ensure its integrity and accountability; and the capacity of ACA to fulfill it role. Findings indicate to a shift in how the ACA understands its mandate, with more attention given to prevention measures besides investigation efforts. Main policy recommendations include; integrating corruption control reforms within wider good governance efforts; the need to demonstrate political will in the fight against corruption. Main operational recommendations include; integrate the ACA within a national accountability system, ensure the independence of the ACA through a transparent mechanism for appointing the President of the ACA, in addition to passing the needed legislations mainly the access to information law and protection of witnesses and whistleblowers law.

Department

Public Policy & Administration Department

Degree Name

MA in Public Administration

Graduation Date

6-1-2018

Submission Date

February 2018

First Advisor

AbdelHalim, Khaled

Committee Member 1

ElBaradei, Laila

Committee Member 2

Barsoum, Ghada

Extent

81 p.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Rights

The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Not necessary for this item

Comments

I would first like to thank my thesis advisor Dr. Khaled Abdelhalim of the Department of Public Policy and Administration, School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the American University in Cairo (AUC) for his valuable support and advice all throughout my research. This work would not have been possible without his guidance. I would also like to thank Dr. Ghada Barsoum for her support and valuable advice at different points of the research journey. I would like to express my gratitude to the Yousef Jameel GAPP Public Leadership Program for providing me with its generous fellowship for the entire duration of the program, two years and a half. This program has contributed to my personal and professional development, thank you Yousef Jameel and for everyone who brought this program to AUC. I would also like to thank everyone who participated in the research by allowing me to interview them and bring their views to the academic arena. Only by exposing corruption and refusing the status quo by taking up an active role in the matter, we shall prevail in the fight against corruption. Thank you all.

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