Common Integrity Challenges in Human Resource Management: The Case of Local Government in Albania

Corruption is a challenge to democratic governance, sustainable development, and the strengthening of citizens' trust in public institutions. In recent years, the literature has put more focus on the importance of a value-based approach to preventing corruption in the first place, rather than a compliance-based approach focused on rules and their enforcement once corruption has occurred. Both approaches are not exclusive, and there is a need for their fusion or combination. Albania, in line with international standards, has in recent years adopted integrity plans for central institutions and local government units. These plans are educational and preventive instruments against corruption, through which the leadership and the staff identify integrity risks and draw up a plan of measures to minimize them within three years. While integrity plans are personalized for each institution, they can also be useful at the policy level, since some of the challenges of integrity can be similar or the same in several institutions. This study analyzes the integrity plans of 16 municipalities in Albania to identify common challenges of integrity in the field of human resources. The field of human resources is extremely important, as it is directly related to employee support and administration, as well as the management of internal processes that affect the efficiency and integrity of the municipality.