Results Are Out for TI’s 2013 Global Corruption Barometer

International - Tuesday, July 9, 2013

How does corruption feature in people’s lives around the world? On 9 July 2013, Transparency International (TI) launched the Global Corruption Barometer 2013, which tries to answer this question through the largest global public opinion survey on corruption - with 114 000 persons surveyed in 107 countries, including a number of Arab countries. This barometer addresses people’s direct experiences with bribery and their perception on corruption in their country’s main institutions while also providing insights into people's willingness to fight corruption. According to the Barometer, more than 1 in 2 persons thinks that corruption has deteriorated in the last two years, and more than 1 out of 4 respondents have paid a bribe when interacting with key public institutions during the last year, figures which show no improvement from previous surveys. It underlines the lack of trust that citizens worldwide have in institutions that are tasked with fighting corruption and crime, including the police and the judiciary. Indeed, the Barometer shows that “corruption is seen to be running through the foundations of the democratic and legal process in many countries, affecting public trust in political parties, the judiciary and the police, among other key institutions.” The survey however points to the fact that a majority of citizens feel empowered to act against corruption, a resounding proof of successful citizen initiatives to tackle corruption worldwide. In the Arab region, the percentage of people who reported having paid a bribe in the last year when interacting with key public institutions is in general much higher than the global average, with the exception of Palestine, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen(1). While this may appear to be an increase in the incidence of bribery, it may also be a manifestation of the increasingly more open space and growing freedom of expression in most Arab countries following the transformations that started more than two years ago. The results may also be an indicator that the effort to tackle corruption in the region needs to be further strengthened. Indeed, the window of opportunity is still open. This is what the barometer itself shown when it indicates that most people surveyed in the participating Arab countries have a clear willingness to get involved in the fight against corruption (2). (1) Arab countries surveyed included Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen. (2) Arab countries surveyed included Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen. Source: Transparency International: www.transparency.org