Global Cooperation

More countries are making progress on corruption – but there's much to be done, says a new report

One significant contributor to the problem of corruption is the link between politics and money. Image: Annie Spratt/Unsplash

Sean Fleming
Senior Writer, Forum Agenda
  • A new report from Transparency International finds improvements in the fight against corruption.
  • But most countries are stagnating, and there are worrying connections between rich and poor countries.
  • The report says unregulated flows of big money into politics is corrupting public policy.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Transparency International Chair Delia Ferreira Rubio unveiled the main themes and findings of the organization's new report on corruption.

The overall picture is one of stagnation in the face of corruption, found Transparency International in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index.

No country received a perfect score in the 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index. Image: Transparency International
Have you read?

One significant contributor to the problem of corruption is the link between politics and money.

"To have any chance of curbing corruption, governments must strengthen checks and balances, limit the influence of big money in politics and ensure broad input in political decision-making," the CPI report says.

Overcoming that challenge calls for a combination of legislation and cooperation. Political parties must be willing to disclose their sources of income, any assets they own and loans they receive. Meanwhile, governments should enforce regulations around campaign financing.

Discover

What's the World Economic Forum doing about corruption?

Democracy ‘demands transparency’

Addressing the audience at Davos 2020, Ferreira Rubio highlighted the connections between the clean and the not-so-clean countries.

"The money that is stolen from those countries that are perceived as corrupt ends up in the countries perceived as clean and transparent – in banks, as wealth, as luxuries," she said, calling on the cleaner nations to take more responsibility for corruption beyond their borders.

Speaking at the same Davos session, the President of Botswana, Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, warned against complacency: "The fight against corruption is a race towards a finish line that you can never reach," he said. With a CPI score of 61, Botswana is one of the anti-corruption success stories of sub-Saharan Africa.

"Democracy is incomplete without transparency and accountability," President Masisi continued. "We passed legislation that requires all political leaders, officers and those in the judiciary to disclose their wealth and liabilities."

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Stay up to date:

SDG 08: Decent Work and Economic Growth

Related topics:
Global CooperationGeo-Economics and PoliticsEquity, Diversity and Inclusion
Share:
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how SDG 08: Decent Work and Economic Growth is affecting economies, industries and global issues
World Economic Forum logo

Forum Stories newsletter

Bringing you weekly curated insights and analysis on the global issues that matter.

Subscribe today

3 ways travel can shape the future of global connectivity

Jane Sun

December 18, 2024

Why composite AI in the Intelligent Age leads us to a people-centred future

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2024 World Economic Forum