Anti-corruption efforts are stagnating in the G7 group of most-developed nations, according to a campaign group.
Countries in which elections and political party financing are open to undue influence from vested interests are less able to combat corruption, says Transparency International, which has brought out its 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).
Delia Ferreira Rubio, Chair of Transparency International, said: “Frustration with government corruption and lack of trust in institutions speaks to a need for greater political integrity. Governments must urgently address the corrupting role of big money in political party financing and the undue influence it exerts on our political systems.”
The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, drawing on 13 assessments and surveys of business executives. It uses a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). More than two-thirds of countries score below 50, with an average score of only 43. Since 2012, only 22 countries have significantly improved their scores, including Estonia, Greece and Guyana. Twenty-one have significantly declined, including Australia, Canada and Nicaragua.
TI says that several of the most advanced economies cannot afford to be complacent if they are to keep up their anti-corruption momentum. Four G7 countries score lower than last year: Canada (-4), France (-3), the UK (-3) and the US (-2). Germany and Japan have seen no improvement, while Italy gained one point.
Patricia Moreira, Managing Director of TI said: “The lack of real progress against corruption in most countries is disappointing and has profound negative effects on citizens around the world. To have any chance of ending corruption and improving peoples’ lives, we must tackle the relationship between politics and big money. All citizens must be represented in decision making.”
Visit www.transparency.org/cpi2019.
