Tag Archives | institutions

Corruption in the Americas: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly?

The 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index does not show significant movement in the scores of the countries in the Americas. For the more cynical among us, this is a good sign as there is always the possibility of worsening. But the reality is that stagnation is not good news. Each year that passes without things improving, […]

Read full story Comments { 16 }

Corruption Perceptions Index 2012 demands a new tack in Afghanistan

The recent independent report on Kabul Bank scandal points out to the urgency to transform the country’s laws and institutions, from the financial sector to the justice system. The team that published the report are to be congratulated for shedding light on a “ponzi scheme” scandal that involves the theft of US$900 million. It is […]

Read full story Comments { 10 }

Argentinians bang their pots for change

Thousands of people in Argentina have taken to the streets this year to protest, showing their discontent with the government by banging on kitchen pots and pans. Pablo Secchi, Executive Director of Poder Ciudadano, the Transparency International Chapter in Argentina, explains why they are frustrated and what corruption has to do with it. Lea este […]

Read full story Comments { 1 }

EU: Bulgaria and Romania fail the corruption test again

Over the past months, the European Commission, the executive body of the European Union (EU), has been exasperated with Bulgaria’s failure to put corrupt senior officials and crime bosses behind bars. Meanwhile in neighbouring Romania, trouble has been brewing since a major political turf fight has taken centre stage. The timing couldn’t have been worse. […]

Read full story Comments { 10 }

Ireland: Political leaders need to tackle fundamental governance gaps which enable corruption and undermine our economic stability

It is no coincidence that countries suffering most from the European debt crisis also have major problems with corruption. While international indicators suggest that corruption is less pervasive in Ireland than, say, Greece or Spain, its ravaging impact on public finances is just as tangible. Corruption has played a starring role in our home-grown crisis. […]

Read full story Comments { 0 }

Corruption in Greece – a crisis of values

Everyone at the moment is interested in the situation in Greece – the impact of the financial crisis, why it ever happened and the future of the country.  One way to understand it is to talk to the Greeks themselves, of course. We visited Greece for the launch of their important study ‘National Integrity Systems’ […]

Read full story Comments { 7 }

A Hazy Awakening – Corruption risks capturing Hungary

In the picture of Hungary painted by Transparency International Hungary’s report on the country’s institutions last week, the colours would be quite blunt, with opaque areas in grey representing shady figures and institutions bound together very closely. In less artistic terms, it seems that nowadays private interests prevail over public interests, and Hungarians have just […]

Read full story Comments { 1 }

The Leveson inquiry has exposed Britain’s growing corruption problem

Yesterday, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers suggested to the Leveson inquiry that some sections of the press have been making regular payments to a network of corrupted public officials. In the past, it may have been easy for British citizens to pretend corruption is a problem that only exists overseas. However, Akers’s revelations now leave […]

Read full story Comments { 3 }