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"Foreword" [2018] ELECD 1054; in Hertogh, Marc; Kirkham, Richard (eds), "Research Handbook on the Ombudsman" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2018) xii

Book Title: Research Handbook on the Ombudsman

Editor(s): Hertogh, Marc; Kirkham, Richard

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN: 9781786431240

Section Title: Foreword

Number of pages: 3

Extract:

Foreword The Ombudsman concept has proved remarkably popular and has spread through much of the world. At the last count, the International Ombudsman Institute had almost 190 members in 90 countries worldwide. These are public service Ombudsman institutions and of course the total figure for Ombudsman Offices would be very much higher than this, as it would include private sector schemes and others which are not in membership. The original Scandinavian examples relate very much to the rule of law, and the evolution perhaps beginning with the New Zealand Ombudsman Office founded in 1962 which introduced the powerful concept of maladministration, continues apace. Perhaps the most significant trend is that which has seen Ombudsman Offices also taking on the role of National Human Rights Institution. This is seen particularly in Latin America and in Central and Eastern Europe, but this is also reflected in the work of Ombudsman Offices elsewhere who have adopted a human rights approach to their work. Indeed, the IOI now describes itself as a human rights institution. The use of the Ombudsman concept in the private sector has also been well established, most notably in Europe and Australasia. Many public sector schemes, on the other hand, have taken on an explicit anti-corruption role. This is especially true in Africa, but is also evident in devolved UK Ombudsman Offices. At the same time, the way in which Ombudsman Offices typically work has changed, with informal resolution becoming predominant, as opposed to the use of formal investigations ...