The world continues to suffer from the disease of corruption. If you take a look at the global map you’ll see much of the world is in a state of critical condition – 131 of the 178 countries score below five out of 10 indicating a serious corruption problem.
The Corruption Perceptions Index is a warning system for world leaders and the 2010 results convey the urgent need for strengthening governance mechanisms. Millions living in poverty and the economic growth of their countries depend on this. But the index is also a warning system for people like you and me, telling us that it is time to push for change in our countries because resources intended to improve our welfare are being siphoned away.
The index continues to show that country analysts and businesspeople see public sector corruption as infecting countries around the world. No single country is seen as immune from corruption and our other research shows that the public agrees.
The Corruption Perceptions Index is only one way of gauging the symptoms of corruption. The real challenge, the one that we all need to work together to address, is diagnosing the causes in each country, determining which institutions or sectors are most affected, and which are bringing about real change.
One way we do this is through our National Integrity System assessments. We evaluate the main institutions and actors that form a state, including all branches of government, the media, the public and private sectors and civil society. Once we have an accurate picture of where anti-corruption strengths and weaknesses lie, we advocate with other civil society organisations for reforms.
For people in many countries though, fighting against corruption is not just about the diagnosis, it is a daily battle. To help them stand up to corruption we are trying to provide them with support through our Advocacy and Legal Advice Centres. Each year, thousands of people phone the centres’ corruption hotlines or drop in, recount their experiences, and receive advice and legal support. In 2009 alone, more than 20,000 people sought help from the centres.
Of the many ways to fight corruption the most important one is public demand. Without citizens demanding their governments to perform better and holding them to account, the grave situation shown by this year’s Corruption Perceptions Index will not change. These are our countries and our future.
Have a look at your country’s result and let us know how you think your country is doing – and what should change to get it right.
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THIS IS HOW WE TRY TO DEAL WITH THIS EVIL. AND WE ARE SERIOUS ABOUT IT. WHY AU GOVERNMENT KEEPS WITH SILENCE AND IGNORANCE..? IS THIS THE PRICE GILLARD’S PARTYS PAYING FOR BEING ELECTED? THINGS ARE TURNING UPSIDE DOWN.RUSSIA AND CHINE ARE NOW MORE OPEN TO FREE SPEECH THAN WESTERNS AND AUSTRALIA
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BEIJING, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) — Corrupt judges in China will face severe punishments as their practices harm the justice system and interests of the public, Vice President of the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) Xiong Xuanguo said here Wednesday.
RE- XANE
i agree with u.
‘ Thailand’s prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has appeared in court as a witness in a corruption case involving his governing Democrat Party.’
what i’m getting is that we listen more carefully what our citizens are saying, in Australia government ignores everyone from its own people to its own crime and corruption. Gillard seems to be disappointment for entire country. things are changing, China is booming after dictatorship that destroyed country and its people. but looks me like you are getting there. and getting there fast. i’m glad. now Australia has a dictator and it looks like they dont know what to do with him. socialism bloody socialism, it will be the end of AU
Easy people, its hard to see things when you are IN. They need an outsider to understand whats going on. But yes, Australia is going down the road faster than many of us predicted. They lost stability; they cant vote, cant go to court, cant receive justice, cant get rid of corrupt judge (which for me is the worst thing to hit one country) and all their academics, experts, journalist are as helpless as victims of crime. Personally? I think its too late, they already sank into the biggest debt in AU history. Transparency didn’t make it any easier for covering this.. To that new.home.website owner, well done. Rest of victims probably sank into history, never to be known what they went through. She reminds me of Erin Brokowich
Any thing the Transparency International says, any rehashing of policies or whatever – after this article – has absolutely no credibility.
Was it not you guys, who wished to challenge the world and make it free from corruption? Is this the way to do it? This link reached your inbox 6 moths ago http://new.home.tripod.com yet Australias 8th from the TOP? i’m moving onto serious issue – back to cartoons
As an valid customer of NSW legal system I am pleased to say that corruption has never been an issue in Sydney. NSW judiciary has a long tradition of 102% integrity. There has never been a whiff (I will repeat) a whiff of corruption associated with any judge of the NSW Supreme Court during 182-year history The number of cases in which there have been elements of corruption in the judiciary could only come from the rest of Australia, and can be counted on the fingers of one lag. This is an important joke, which we maintain to this day
Yemen is ranked 146. I think it did nothing combating corruption. I think to be compared to Yemeni corruption, both of ruling tribes and soceities.
Yemen is ranked 146. I think it did nothing combating corruption. I think nothing to be compared to Yemeni corruption, both of ruling tribes and soceities.
It is so ridiculous that China ranks so high in the list. I think the wrong index is from the fact that the Chinese government controls every media from internet to newspaper, and Transparency Int’l gets no insight into China’s corruption. Chinese people have the most expensive government in the world.
It appears there is a flaw in method of calculation of corruption perception index. Several countries (e.g. Sweden) are having high CPI score in spite of their involvement in promoting corruption in other countries. These countries are allowing people of other countries to deposit black money earned by them and charging money for maintaining the secrecy.
In “corruption perceptions index” 2010, Russia has fallen to rank N 154 out of total 178 alongside Laos, Papua New Guinea, Tajikistan, and Congo. It easily could be. I am from former superpower Soviet Union. CIS countries are very, very corrupted. Corruption is practised at most ever level and a symptom of other problems. Here regimes are almost all over-personalized and, in many places, over-criminalized. In Azerbaijan there was a dynastic succession, with the son of the previous president replacing his dying father in office, and now eliminating term limits to secure his continued rule. The presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan, (at least until recently, Kyrgyzstan), Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have consolidated their authoritarian power, and have made successful efforts to extend their mandate by successive multi–year terms or dispense with elections through rigged referendums. No strict law equally for everyone, human rights are not respected, no freedom of speech and media. Any criticism, opposition people, journalists are always threatened by the government, disappear or put in jail.
One of the reasons of recent deadly blast at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport was a failure to meet security requirements. How can they withstand terrorism with such a level of corruption, if every policeman in the airport gets a bribe from passengers and there is no need after to go through security inspection? In a country where money talks, it is easy to deliver a bomb.
I am a bit skeptical about the nature of the measurements. Specially because the score of one country: Switzerland.
How can this sort of index be measured in a country with such a secretive banking system, which is widely known to host bank accounts of the most corrupt people in the world (i.e. José Eduardo dos Santos).
Is this sort of collective behaviour considered transparent?!?!
Let’s all not be corrupt at cost of others’ corruption!
I’ve been involved in International Commerce for the last twenty years of my career and in that capacity I’ve dealt with many officials in a number of the countries listed.
Your methodology is definitely flawed. To place South Africa and Cuba in your list above (meaning, they’re less corrupt than)Paraguay, Peru, and India, is a joke.
I agree with Dippiti Doo. The United States should be at the bootom of the list. The only reason it isn’t, is because it is very good at being corrupt, without appearing to be corrupt. It has managed to pool the wool over the eyes of its public, giving them just enough to keep them quiet. Fake Democracy, Fake Capitalism, and tons of Hypocrisy.
when the white man is lying in all business, he is performing overall in the world, nobody admit it same as corruption. The price of those think, that is bought in poor country, did not represent the real dealing end price. What is that. Just lies, for their own benefits! What is the definition of corruption?
Ahh… comments comparing Canada and Russia. What a natural combination. If it wasn’t for Greg’s statement that he works in Canada, I would say he was getting the two countries mixed up. Having lived in and worked in Russia, a totally anarchical and corrupt state if there ever was one, I would have to say that Canada is a paradise in comparison. You see Greg, the reason Canada is on top of the list may not be a simple reason, but the reason it is above Russia is that Russia is entirely corrupt, much like you would know if you had to pay a “roof” to the local mafia/government official, to pay bribes to do normal business, and to not expect any sort of help from the legal system because God help you if you get entangled in that from failure to bribe the right individual. Perhaps, in your interesting and creative comparisons of countries, you can next compare Holland and North Korea?
How come the Vatican isn’t included in the list of countries?
The U.S at 7.1 huh? The U.S. should be dripping blood red on your map just from the wars it has started. Perhaps you overlooked the Federal Reserve or that income tax is government robbery.
Maybe you were on vacation in a cabin with no tv when banks were bailed out for their sub-prime mortgage scams and credit default swaps. And im guessing you dont realize that some of the same people responsible for sinking our economy are employed by Obama. Have I made a dent in your score yet?
I would like to know exactly who it was that took this test and “scored” it this way? I live in the U.S. and am completely baffled. I will admit I cannot get past it enough to even pay attention enough to the other countries to check out what is going on there.
Did they just poll about 10 of the well paid top government office holders here or what? This is NOT accurate. I can tell you with all of the whoring and fuckery and murder that is going on here between corporate and government offices and programs, it’s getting harder and harder to tell difference of what is what, especially since the tea baggers have taken over. Maybe Monsanto just paid them off? Goldman Sachs? BP? Who knows? Amazing….I’m just seeing red….
I am visiting this site for the first time and I do not know the rules. What I want to find out is that what is the criteria for corruption. To make my point clear, I will give one or two illustrations, it has been reported in the British press that the Duke of York has accepted cash for favours to pay off his ex-wife’s debts and there was another report that police officers investigating the telephone tapping scam had accepted lunches and dinners from the persons they were investigating. The third is the reported false claims of expenses by British MPs. With regard to the USA, they acceptance of expensive gifts, holidays etc by US legislators from lobbyists. Are all these examples which are just illustrative treated as corruption. If not why not?
It is unfortunate that you have been unjust to India by knocking off Jammu and Kashmir from our country. Equally unfair is integrating Tibet with China.
You are a well respected institution and such action from you is deplorable.
Please check if it is a genuine error or mischief paid by a Chinese / Pakistani mole in your office and reply back to me.
Although Canada may in the top 10 of least corrupt nation-states, Quebec – now officially recognized as a ‘nation’, most certainly should not be.
Rarely has a place built on ‘western’ ideals, worn its corruption so openly.
It’s a disgrace….
Canada at # 6 good but room to improve.
Keep at it Canada.
Systematic racism.
Pls. check the map u published in this site. U have included some portion of Kashmir in China… Pls. check before you publish to the world.
What the hell TI India is doing… pls. show respect to our Country.. if u r Indians….
It is amazing how little some of you know about Swiss bank secrecy.
First of all, privacy is a highly valued good in Switzerland. Bank secrecy is a type of professional secrecy no other than what doctors have to adhere to. How would you feel for example, when everybody would know everything about your health history. Imagine you had treatment for a nervous brake down and you you want to apply for a job that asks for high capability to work under pressure. If your future employer could view your health records he will probably not hire you.
Secondly, bank secrecy it laid down in federal law along with measures against money laundering and other control mechanisms to detect and sanction the acceptance of dirty assets. This gives the Swiss executive quite some leverage. Financial institutions must cooperate in the detection of dirty money.
Thirdly, how about other, less trustworthy countries who are willing to accept dirty money? You are writing about Switzerland as the ultimate evil but it is not. They might have made mistakes in the past but are now quite willing to cooperate; only in their way, which can be as fruitful as other countries actions to fight corruption.
I understand that bank secrecy evokes quite some controversies but I simply do not believe that there is only one way of addressing the issue of keeping dirty money.
After all, how many countries like other countries meddling with their internal politics?
I’m european living in French-Guyane. Before I was living long time in Brasil, and know also good other countries. French-Guyane is the corruptest place what I see until now. Beside of corruption, has also high nepotism, and discrimination against white persons (europeans and brazileans) by the administration employes which the frenchs unadequadely let with the natives. A few examples: two years ago, the state social house company HLM gone bancrupt, because the administration filled the social houses inadequadely with their relatives, inclusive with plenty coming like themselves illegally from surrounding caribic countries (at the same time, not ONE european got a HLM social house), and none of them paied rent, during years … And the desviation of european fonts is 100% . Houses of europeans are burned down, and other practics of genocide, but the administration and justice don’t do nothing. It would be a good idea to elaborate also an nepotism and racism index.
The index is far too kind to Europe. We know that places like Luxembourg and Switzerland have vastly more dirty money per capita than any country in Africa and yet they come out in the top ten least corrupt countries while all poor African countries appear terribly corrupt. Mobuto, who was long in competition for being the most corrupt African head of state, put most of his money in Switzerland as have countless drug lords, tax evaders, heads of state, and top criminals. Surely this should bar a country, on grounds of facilitating corruption, from being in the top ten. What does it matter that the Swiss have high self regard and ignore this. Your methodology, basing this all on citizen perceptions and ignoring the possibility of delusion, is faulty.
Seems your study is EXTREMELY superficial, and certainly very far from truth. Indeed I clearly understand it’s just a PERCEPTION.
Nothing on this field cannot be done seriously without long time investigating, from INSIDERS, producing sound and documented REPORTS that would be analyzed, by an outside jury, then defended by their authors.
One thing is sure: the world is getting more and more corrupt, everyday, including the BIG nations, leading the example. I used to travel all my life for those last 45 years. I am now 60, though still in a very good shape. Indeed, I AM SCARED to move wherever. Not scared of terrorism which is finally very scarce, and over exaggerated to keep people under complete control. I am scared as we are NOW, into BIG BROTHER’s world, and I bet NOWHERE, can you rely on a sound judiciary system. It’s all fucked up with money. Of course it is LEGAL the US are printing money, cranking the press like mad. In what is it to result ? TRILLIONS of $ / value evaporated. This is not corruption…I’m a French national. France is a hell. Legal or not, they’ll snatch you off whatever they decide. To get an honest and motivated lawyer is a DREAM, and anyway the Judge will decide whatever, skipping and skirting the law if necessary. As for now, even they cashed in the premiums, and still do, the future is NO RETIREMENT paid. By shooting the EUR in the feet, they snatched me off 30% of the value of my money. That is not corruption, right ?… I’m self exiled in Thailand: so I’ll not put a word here about it. It is OFFICIALLY NOT a country of free speech, and I can be kicked out within 24 hours, black listed as to never be allowed in the country again. Wife, children, assets, properties ? I would have to forget it all: great if I can pack up my golf bag…
Your “study” is pure ballooney…
Best regards.
I Live in Barbados now, The leading ISP here is LIME, They have a monopoly. They somehow justify to themselves selling residential internet at 80$BDS a month for a 1Mbps connection. I don’t see why we have to endure such ghastly speeds for that price, it’s not fair.
My country, the US is 22nd on the list for 2010. I have looked at the short summary of methodology and notice that major institutions such as the World Bank are consulted in ordering the list. Such a methodology is not one I would have chosen. I think it omits highly significant data.
For example, I think that the way in which the citizens of a country choose their political leaders, executives, members of legislative bodies is the most significant factor in determining the level of corruption.
In the US, two parties are the source of the vast majority of elected officials. They are funded by contributions mostly from private sources. Those sources are major corporations on the national level, financial, military-industrial, and health-care industries. The US Supreme Court has decided that the use of money for political advocacy by them is tantamount to their freedom of speech, which is protected by the fiction of corporate personhood.
Most of our problems and those of many other peoples of the world stem from the dominating influence of these corporations in my government. Our wars, military and naval bases around the world reflect that influence.
This I find essentially corrupt because the purpose of that influence is the personal gain of the individuals who govern those corporations at the expense, indeed at the cost in lives as well as money of most people in the world who have no control of their lives for these reasons.
In conclusion, I do not see how my country, the US with its political system, can be as high as 22nd on the list when it is as corrupt and therefore destructive in its world-role as it is.
I agree with Shelly. I believe QUEBEC must be considered an entirely special place on the CPI index. It is trully shameful that a region or province in one of the leading nations of low corruption has such a dubious element of corruption throught it’s political and social structure. One only needs to look at the large sum of taxes paid by it’s residents and citizens and compare it to what is visibly seen in it’s infastructure (roads and buildings) to see who far the rabbit hole goes. What is truly astounding is how much the politicians,Union leaders and contractors play a role. The citizens are truly asleep or uncaring..So much so that the underworld crime world in QUEBEC must scrath their collective heads and say, ” WOW, we really are not that bad”!!
Sorry – but although it might look benign Switzerland is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. An entire economy built on a banking system which happily accepts money from tax evaders, orgainized crime, thiefs, liars and nazis cannot be considered as a moral template for the rest of the world.
in india, corruption is a cultural issue and gifts or free service and obedience were taken as granted by powerful authorities.
cost of honesty is very high in india because to have mechanisms of ensuring fairess has itself become risky and superficial and high price.
market or negotiation for value and to choose has reduced prices by competition and resource capacity, and government monopoly and price and hopelessness reduced.
reduction in laws and need of government are only solutions which must be initiated.
Principles of Law Making
by Das Krishna on Friday, April 13, 2012 at 8:24am ·
Laws cannot and never be made. All laws exist already in the nature, and any individual with dedication can discover it, and let it be known universally as much as it can. And some laws are consensus based and help us to voluntarily realize benefits bu own choices, and let us develop as an individual, as family, occupational groups, social community and as a nation and finally as human being. Thirdly, there are laws which stop us by force when we tend to fall down and this legitimate application of force by gentle means and carfulness is ‘enforceable laws’ with uses of government.
Natural System : Individuals’ self determination by knowledge of truth and natural laws
Public System : Respectful and Sensitive Approach, Civil Society including parliament
Legal System : Hostile and mechanical but focussed approach, Government and Courts
Utmost care should be taken in matters of Law Making which act as substitute of weapon and risk when in wrong hands increases manifold. Here is that principle of law making.
Laws which are enforceable by government or any third party within an area of activity must be set out with a certain objectives and targets that it must achieve within a stated period and by use of stated resources.
Laws must also list apprehensions of misuses and corruption and, methods how it is avoided and measure of perception.
Laws must be then removed after it has served its purpose, and law makers proudly declare end of laws i.e, when the controls thus applied by enforceable laws and weapon, is unnecessary. Should the incidents which the law was meant to reduce, increase that indicate poorly on wisdom, foresight of law makers and their intellectual ability to discover root causes for those effects in increasing incidents.
Risk identification and its potential and causes of it determine need and severity of surveillance and regulation needed. Subject to it, registration is a sort of soft imprisonment where person(s) or condition (s) needed to be kept under vigil. This is an exception based and it severities depend, by degree of risk. Mechanism of First Information Report (FIR) is the event which allows initiating scientific cause analysis, and these data classified judiciosly by geography, community and sector of work and so on, provide a basis of law making (legally enforceable laws) and act of registration.
And any government or third party agency which registers them becomes a legal guardian and also becomes liable for conduct of those registered, to the public at large. Registered persons or entities are in refuse of registrant authority, and not independent and not entirely responsible of their own conduct.
In most cases, these risk mitigation efforts can be self financed because economic interests and greed are a cause of these. When these reasons are valid, financing of these instruments of legal enforcement and payment of liabilities can be from revenues received as registration fee from registered persons or entities kept in refuse of registrant authorities. Tax payers which expect value from common wealth and development must be saved from paying for unwanted risks that they did not expect or subscribed to.
Laws cannot just be made by pleasure of rulers or those in power for various vested interests, or by their sheer incompetence, or idiosyncrasies.
Laws should be minimum but effective. Increased number of laws indicates poorly on character of people and the state. And in the name of public good, any addition of enforceable law is a slap on face on free spirit of individual and its constitutional character, and unwanted increased drain of public resource in managing the potential or actual risk.
Accountability of any judicial or legally enforceable laws should be focussed and precise, to be high effective and efficient, rather than indiscriminately, ineffective as well as inefficient and corrupt. These legally enforceable laws differ with public system such as education, culture, self help or any other non enforceable and voluntary approaches.
Certification, verification or attestation with respect to certain activity, work, condition or event which follow a stated and valid public procedure must be a voluntary act. And public can choose the service providers who are government agencies or any other organization or individual, registered under enforceable laws. These certification, verification or attestation is a statement of fact or independent third party evidence instruments, admissible in courts or any dispute or conflict resolution processes.
K G Misra
kg@qualitymeter.com