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The data from diagnostic assessments establish irrefutable
information about the problem of corruption – and in doing so,
can help strengthen the political will to fight corruption. It
can help people understand the root causes of the problem and
understand the real costs it imposes on society in terms of reduced
economic investment, poor delivery of public services, and weaker
government. This kind of information can help mobilize people
in all sectors of society to be more concerned and turn their
words into deeds. These assessments can be most effective if they
help transform a society’s tolerance for corruption into outrage
against corruption. And better yet, if it can transform outrage
with corruption into practical and positive solutions to the problem.
-- from the Remarks at Regional Anti-Corruption Conference,
Bucharest, Romania, 30-31 March 2000 by Bertram I. Spector.
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TI publishes new Corruption
Perceptions Index 2002 --
The TI Corruption Perceptions Index 2002 ranks 102 countries.
Seventy countries - including many of the world's most poverty-stricken
- score less than 5 out of a clean score of 10. Corruption is
perceived to be rampant in Indonesia, Kenya, Angola, Madagascar,
Paraguay, Nigeria and Bangladesh, countries with a score of less
than 2. Countries with a score of higher than 9, with very low
levels of perceived corruption, are predominantly rich countries,
namely Finland, Denmark, New Zealand, Iceland, Singapore and Sweden.
Some changes highlighted in the CPI were identified by Peter
Eigen. "In the past year, we have seen setbacks to the credibility
of democratic rule. In parts of South America, the graft and misrule
of political elites have drained confidence in the democratic
structures that emerged after the end of military rule. Argentina,
where corruption is perceived to have soared, joins Panama, Honduras,
Guatemala, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Haiti and Paraguay
with a score of 3 or less in the CPI 2002."
While some countries in transition from communism - most notably
Slovenia, which has a cleaner score than EU member countries Italy
and Greece - are perceived to be increasingly less corrupt, many
countries in the former Soviet Union remain ridden with corruption.
"The recent steps by President Vladimir Putin to introduce
tax reforms and new laws fighting money-laundering are beginning
to show the prospect of a lessening in perceived corruption in
Russia," explained Peter Eigen, "but the CPI 2002 indicates
that Russia has a long way to go and remains seriously corrupt,
together with Uzbekistan, Georgia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Moldova
and Azerbaijan, all of which score less than 3 out of 10."
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