Corruption is an essential priority for the citizens, and tolerance of corruption is constantly on the decline. Apart from the political commitment, the critical actors in the process must also have the appropriate resources and capacities to meet the citizens’ expectations in the fight against corruption.
The institutions that have a so-called preventive role in the fight against corruption, as opposed to the repressive role of the police, the public prosecutor’s office and the judiciary, are of key importance. These include the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption, the State Audit Office, the Council of Inspection Authorities, and the Commission for Protection of Competition. These institutions have competencies that cover key aspects of the fight against corruption, such as detecting potential corruption and conflict of interest, pressure to monopolize specific sectors, and implementing the rules on the field through audits and inspections. The efficient functioning of these institutions is of paramount importance for building cases that the public prosecutor’s office would take over.
In planning the anticorruption policies, the institutions need to consider the financial implications and their capacities to implement these policies.
This analysis aims to measure these institutions’ capacity and required investment in human resources as a key precondition for their performance. The findings suggest that the systematization acts (job classifications) are not fulfilled despite the increased investment in these institutions. They miss personnel to work on anticorruption cases, and their salaries are below the national average for vacancies with equivalent qualifications.
The analysis provides an overview of the current level of investment, the situation and challenges these institutions face, and calculates how much we need to invest for their better functioning. The analysis develops two scenarios with variations. The first scenario is an investment in filling the employment plans, and the second scenario is an investment in personnel that will work on anticorruption cases. The total amount varies from 4 to 5 million euros annually, depending on the scenario. In addition to these costs, if the vacancies for inspectorates are filled, the amount reaches up to 12 million euros annually.
You can read the entire analysis in English language here:
How much it costs to fight corruption in North Macedonia: Human Resources
You can read the entire analysis in Macedonian language here:
Колку чини борбата против корупцијата: инвестиција во човечките ресурси
You can read the entire analysis in Albanian language here:
Sa kushton lufta kundër korrupsionit: investimi në burimet njerëzore