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Demokratiskolan
The Corruption card from MethodKit for Society and Politics
Card 53 of 128 · MethodKit for Society & Politics
  • AreaDemocracy & power
  • Centre of gravityCentral government
  • Points of influence3 on the journey
  • Decisive electionThe general election
Democracy & power

Corruption

How to identify & tackle corruption

Corruption is when someone uses a public role for private gain: bribes, conflicts of interest, favours for friends. Sweden is usually ranked as one of the least corrupt countries in the world, but the risks sit close to you, in procurement, building permits and the hiring of staff. The power to detect and punish lies with the central government, but most of the deals are done in the municipalities.

Where does the power lie?1

  • Municipality · own audit & procurement · approx 20 %
  • Region · care procurement & control · approx 10 %
  • State · law, police, prosecutor & court · approx 60 %
  • EU · whistleblower rules & EU funds · approx 10 %

The laws, the police and the courts belong to the central government, so the general election weighs heaviest. But the risk environments, the many small decisions about contracts and permits, sit mainly in the municipalities.

How it works: the breakdown

The municipalityThe everyday risk zone
The regionThe billions in healthcare
Central governmentThe law & the penalties · centre of gravity
Who decides?
The municipal council (kommunfullmäktige), the committees, and the municipality's elected auditors.
The regional council (regionfullmäktige), the regional executive board and the region's auditors.
The Riksdag, the Police (Polismyndigheten), the Swedish Prosecution Authority (Åklagarmyndigheten), the courts, the Parliamentary Ombudsman (JO) and the Swedish National Audit Office (Riksrevisionen).
What do they decide?
Procurement, building permits, licences and jobs: this is where the most buyable decisions sit, along with the municipality's own internal control.
Large procurements of healthcare, construction and IT. High sums mean high risks, and the region runs its own internal control.
Bribery offences in the criminal code, the whistleblower act, investigation, prosecution and verdict. The National Audit Office examines how the central government performs.
Where are decisions made?
In committee minutes, registers and audit reports, all official documents.
In the region's register, procurement decisions and audit reports.
In the Riksdag, with prosecutors and in court. Trials and verdicts are public.
Who pays?
Municipal tax: internal control, audit and a whistleblower function.
Regional tax: internal control and audit.
The central government budget: the justice system and the supervisory agencies.
Fastest way in?
Municipal election Request contracts and invoices, tip off the municipality's whistleblower channel, contact the auditors.
Regional election Request procurement decisions, tip off the region's whistleblower channel.
General election Report suspicions to the Police, file a complaint with JO against agencies, vote on criminal justice policy.
EUThe EU's whistleblower directive lies behind the Swedish protection act, and the EU examines how EU funds are used in Sweden. Shaped in the European Parliament election.

Read the table by column to understand one level, or by row to compare the levels. The green level is the area's centre of gravity.

How it works: follow the decision

The case A bribery case travels through the system
  1. EU

    The EU requires protected reporting channels

    The EU's whistleblower directive forces larger employers, including municipalities and regions, to have secure channels for anyone who reports wrongdoing. Protection against reprisals applies across the whole union.

  2. State

    The Riksdag sets the penalties

    Bribery offences are regulated in the criminal code, and the whistleblower act gives the person who raises the alarm protection. The Riksdag also decides how much money the police, prosecutors and courts receive.

    Point of influence

    The general election steers criminal justice policy. Bills go out for consultation (remiss) before a decision, and anyone may respond.

  3. Municipality

    The alarm comes in a procurement

    An employee reacts to the same company always winning the municipality's contracts and reports through the whistleblower channel. The municipality's auditors start examining the records.

    Point of influence

    The principle of public access to official documents (offentlighetsprincipen) is your tool: anyone can request contracts and invoices and compare them for themselves.

  4. State

    The prosecutor takes over

    The auditors report the matter to the police. The Swedish Prosecution Authority (Åklagarmyndigheten) has a special national unit against corruption that investigates bribery across the country.

  5. State

    The court examines it

    The district court (tingsrätt) tries the charge, and the verdict can be appealed. Trials and verdicts are public, so media and citizens can follow the whole case.

  6. StateMunicipality

    The scrutiny continues afterwards

    The Parliamentary Ombudsman (JO) can examine how the agencies handled the case, and the municipality's auditors propose new controls so it does not happen again.

    Point of influence

    Anyone can file a complaint with JO against an agency that acted wrongly. It is free and requires no lawyer.

  7. Your everyday life

    The tax money goes where it should

    The next procurement is advertised openly and more companies submit bids. The difference is not visible on the street, but in the fact that your tax money buys what it should.

The journey looks the same in reverse: what has been built came the same way, through the same decisions. Whoever knows where the decisions are made also knows where they can be changed.

Questions to discuss

  1. Where in your municipality do you think the risk of favouritism is greatest, and why?

  2. What makes a workplace go silent when something is wrong, and what breaks the silence?

  3. How much control is reasonable before the scrutiny itself starts to cost more than it protects?

  4. What responsibility do you have yourself if you suspect something is not being done properly?

  5. Why do some countries do better against corruption than others, and what of that can be copied?

Glossary

Muta
An improper benefit given or received to influence how someone carries out their duties.
Jäv
When a decision-maker has a personal interest in the matter and therefore may not take part in the decision.
Visselblåsare
A person who reports wrongdoing at their workplace and has legal protection against reprisals.
Internkontroll
An organisation's own routines for detecting errors, fraud and risks in time.
Offentlig upphandling
When municipalities, regions and the central government buy goods and services under rules of open competition.
JO
The Parliamentary Ombudsman, who examines that public agencies treat citizens correctly.

Go further

Footnotes

1) This is an estimate of how decision-making power over the issue is split between the municipality, the region, central government and the EU, based on how responsibility is divided in legislation. A teaching guide, not an exact measurement.