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CPI analysis and comments (final)

The annual publication (since 1995) of the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) by Transparency International (TI) Secretariat in Berlin, gives the scores of the perceptions which selected observers have of the prevalence of corruption in their countries. They do not report about facts. Moreover, these observers are not at random chosen from whatever universum of respondents. Those contributing are predominantly male, between 25 and 50 years of age, well-paid and expatriate, white collar workers, with diplomas of MBA and similar studies, anglophone. Perceptions of women, poor, locals, blue collar workers, francophone and lusophone, are predominantly missing. The automatic result is that rich countries rank in the top, are perceived as less corrupt, ‘clean’. Poor countries rank at the bottom end of the list. The result is unreliable, unscientific, and should not be used – as is generally done by governments and the media – as a yardstick for the level of corruption in particular countries. (TI-Berlin has announced that beginning with the CPI of December 2012, it will use another methodology with more reliable results. As soon as this is published such information and comments will become available on this website).

Transparency International

Established in 1993, Transparency International (TI) defines itself as “the global civil society organization leading the fight against corruption, that brings people together in a powerful worldwide coalition to end the devastating impact of corruption on men, women and children around the world”. Its stated goal is “to take action to combat corruption and prevent criminal activities arising from corruption so as to help build a world in which Government, politics, business, civil society and the daily lives of people are free of corruption, because of the potential of corruption to undermine economic development, generate poverty, foster political instability and create global insecurity”. TI is politically non-partisan and does not undertake investigations of alleged corruption or expose individual cases. It attempts to combat corruption at the international level, and through its National Chapters at the national level, by raising public awareness of the occurrence and impact of corruption; developing coalitions to address it; developing and disseminating tools to curb it; promoting transparency and accountability in politics and business; monitoring the control of corruption; and supporting institutions and mechanisms to combat it. TI is guided by its Charter; its Statement of Vision, Values and Guiding Principles; a Code of Conduct; and the TI Conflict of Interests Policy. It is registered in Germany as a society (Verein) in the court register of societies (Vereinsregister) of Berlin Charlottenburg. TI’s International Secretariat is located in Berlin.

Corruption and tourism demand : sanding the wheels, greasing the wheels or a nonlinear relationship?

Corruption, development cooperation and governance

This booklet was published as a result of the inaugural lectures by Johan Wempe and Michel van Hulten. Within Saxion, professors cooperate in knowledgecentres, the advantage being that they can set up joint multidisciplinary research lines in addition to their own research.

State of Anti-Corruption and Integrity in the Netherlands

Among politicians and businessmen in the Netherlands, the general feeling is that integrity comes first in their businesslike relationships. Corruption is something that goes on in the Third World. This perception is strengthened annually by Transparency International’s publication of the so-called ‘Corruption Perceptions Index’ (CPI), which ranks the  Netherlands, more often than not, among the top ten countries of the world in terms of integrity.What do observers from their posts in international agencies see as the reality? Do they agree? The following documentation contains data and views from sources made available by UNODC, UN Global Compact, OECD, GRECO (Council of Europe), Transparency  International, European Union, and others, which do not conform to the prevailing views held by Dutch politicians and businesspeople concerning their own integrity.

PhD dissertation Network corruption: when social capital becomes corrupted:

The first reason for this study is that a gap appears to exist in the available theories on corruption; very little research is available on corruption by a network, nor does the network theory thoroughly discuss the risks or pitfalls of networks. The second reason for this study is the observation that policies and investigations appear to be limited in dealing with corruption in network-like structures, while at the same time international and European organisations refer to ‘trading in influence’, political and high-profile corruption and the need to eradicate these forms of corruption. The descriptions of both trading in influence and ‘political corruption’ are such that they refer to a web, circle or network in which corruption occurs. The current literature and research on corruption in network-like structures is not extensive, nor do literature and research on networks extensively discuss the pitfalls of networks or how such a collective can become corrupt. This study seeks to bridge both themes, thereby learning from the day-to-day reality of large corruption cases which are difficult to investigate, and comparing them to what is described in the existing bodies of literature on corruption and networks. Thus, understanding network corruption is relevant to prevent, detect and address corruption in our modern society. It will help create awareness and understanding of when social capital becomes corrupted. In this study I consider the structure of the network and the responsibility in these networks in real-life cases: what consequences this has in terms of how the conduct should be assessed; what it means when corruption is a collective behaviour; and whether the behaviour of individuals can be assessed independently of the network. We need to understand which norms are laid down in the anti-corruption policies and models and compare them with the norms upheld in social networks, to explore whether it is possible to distinguish networks from network corruption. In particular, the various roles that individuals take on in such networks needs consideration. The three case studies (the FIFA case, the News of the World case and the Roermond case) concerned serious misconduct by a given set of persons having some form of loose association, but sometimes with little individual behaviour being criminal. In this study the link between networks and corruption is explored by means of the following central question: In what way and to what extent is corruption linked to the functioning of social networks, and what does this entail for our knowledge of corruption and networks and the policies to eradicate corruption?