Is corruption alive and well in your nation? See for yourselves...

Transparency International's 
2013 
Global Corruption Barometer 
by webber3292

Read on line or download here

DO ANY OF THESE KEY FINDINGS
SOUND FAMILIAR TO YOU, NETWORKERS?

Bribery is widespread -

Overall, more than one in four people (27 per cent) report having paid a bribe in the last 12 months when interacting with key public institutions and services.

Public institutions institutions entrusted to protect people suffer the worst levels of bribery -

Among the eight services evaluated, the police and the judiciary are seen as the two most bribery-prone. An estimated 31 per cent of people who came into contact with the police report having paid a bribe. For those interacting with the judiciary, the share is 24 per cent.

Governments are not thought to be doing enough to hold the corrupt to account -

The majority of people around the world believe that their government is ineffective at fighting corruption and corruption in their country is getting worse.

The democratic pillars of societies are viewed as the most corrupt -

Around the world, political parties, the driving forces of democracies, are perceived to be the most corrupt institutions.

Personal connections are seen as corrupting the public administration -

People surveyed regard corruption in their country as more than just paying bribes: almost two out of three people believe that personal contacts and relationships help to get things done in the public sector in their country.

Powerful groups rather than the public good are judged to be driving government actions -

More than one in two people (54 per cent) think their government is largely or entirely run by groups acting in their own interests rather than for the benefit of the citizens.

People state they are ready to change this status-quo -

Nearly 9 in 10 surveyed say they would act against corruption. The majority of people said that they would be willing to speak up and report an incident of corruption. Two-thirds of those asked to pay a bribe say they refused.

Corruption and Anti-corruption: statistics and milestones

“For too long, the demands of citizens for more accountable government have met promises for change, but too little action.

From this anti-corruption day on, we must judge commitments to good behaviour by the transparency and accountability with which leaders of government and business conduct their affairs.”

Huguette Labelle, Chair of the Board, Transparency International

Read the full statement here.

Fighting corruption has been high on the agenda in 2011. People have taken to the streets to demand accountability from their leaders. Additional countries have adopted anti-corruption legislation. More people are coming forward to report corruption.

However, the cost of corruption to economies and societies remains high.

• One-fifth: estimated proportion of the income of poor Mexican families spent on petty bribes.
• Five per cent: amount of Malawi’s economy the World Bank estimates is income derived from corruption.
• 15 per cent: proportion of respondents to a national household survey inGuatemala that reported that they paid a bribe when trying to (re)connect to the public water system.
• 30-40 per cent: countries which have a higher risk of civil war because of weak governance, control of corruption and rule of law, according to the World Bank.
• 73 per cent: proportion of countries on the 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index that score less than 5 out of ten.
• 15 years: longest prison sentence ever handed down in a U.S. foreign bribery case that involved the former president of a telecoms company in Florida.
• US $6 million: value of the 11 sports cars belonging to the leader of Equatorial Guinea confiscated in Paris in September, a result of Transparency International France’s legal action on stolen assets.
• US $37 billion: Libyan assets frozen in the United States. More on stolen assetshere.
• US $57.2 billion: amount Egypt lost to illicit financial activities and official government corruption from 2000 to 2008. Global Financial Integrity says Egypt is losing more than US $6 billion per year.
• $160 billion: amount of money lost by Greece in unrecorded payments through its balance transfers over the last decade, according to Global Financial Integrity. Tax arrangements cost between €300 and €15.000, TI Greece finds.

14 January – Public anger following the suicide of bribery victim Mohamed Bouazizi causes Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to step down after 23 years in power

11 February - Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak is deposed by popular uprising which ends his 30-year hardline rule

25 February – China passes amendments to its corruption legislation that makes foreign corrupt practices illegal

13 April – Egypt's former president Hosni Mubarak is detained and his two sons are being held in prison as officials investigate allegations of corruption and abuse of power

12 May – India ratifies the UN Convention Against Corruption

25 May – Russia is asked to join the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention

5 April – Indian activist Ana Hazare begins an anti-corruption hunger strike to pressure the governments to fulfil anti-corruption commitments as envisaged in the Lok Pal Bill. Nation-wide protests erupt to support his cause.

1 July – UK Bribery Act comes into force

28 August – Ana Hazare ends another fast, after the Indian Government promised to work towards devising an effective anti-corruption law (Lokpal bill).

7 September – thousand of people join anti-corruption demonstrations in Brazil

Read about what Transparency International has done to fight corruption in 2011 here