Perceptions Of Corruption Index 2021- The Outcomes In A Nutshell

According to this year's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), corruption levels are at a global scale standstill.

 

180 nations and territories are ranked by the CPI based on how corrupt the public sector is believed to be. The outcomes are shown on a scale from 0 (very corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

 

For the tenth year in a row, the global average is at just 43 out of a potential 100 points. Despite numerous vows, 131 nations haven't significantly reduced corruption in the last ten years. 27 nations have the lowest scores ever, and two-thirds have major corruption issues based on their scores below 50. 

 

Issues With Leadership, Covid-19, And Human Rights

Human rights and democracy are also under assault as global anti-corruption efforts stagnate at a global scale.

 

There is no coincidence for this. According to our most recent data, nations with well-protected civil liberties typically score higher on the CPI whereas countries that violate civil liberties typically score lower, demonstrating the importance of defending human rights in the battle against corruption.

 

Many nations have also exploited the global COVID-19 pandemic as justification for restricting fundamental liberties and avoiding crucial checks and balances. As Daniel Eriksson (CEO of Transparency International, who releases the index) puts out -‘’Social movements are the final surviving form of power-check in authoritarian environments where a small number of people have all the authority, The force that will ultimately bring about accountability is the power that ordinary people from all walks of life together possess’’.

 

 Numerous high-scoring nations with public sectors that are largely "clean" yet support international corruption, which has negative effects on their own society. 

 

What Is Going On In The World?

Despite the fact that corruption manifests itself in a variety of ways depending on the nation, this year's results show that global efforts to combat public sector corruption have reached a deadlock in every corner of the world.

 

At the top of the CPI, Western European and EU nations are still having trouble being transparent and accountable in their reaction to COVID-19, endangering the positive reputation of the area. Growing limitations on accountability mechanisms and fundamental civil liberties in portions of the Americas, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia allow corruption to go unchecked. Even nations with historically high performance are exhibiting symptoms of decline. A small but influential group still controls politics and society throughout the Middle East and North Africa, and restrictions on civil and political liberties are impeding any meaningful change. 

 

Armed conflict, violent regime changes, rising terrorist threats, and lax implementation of anti-corruption agreements deprive individuals of basic rights and services in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Asia Pacific Cpi 2021:

Grand Corruption And A Lack Of Freedoms Restrict Progress

 Although nations in the Asia Pacific region have made significant progress in reducing the use of bribes to obtain public services, the average score on the 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) of 45 out of 100 indicates that much more work remains to be done to address the region's corruption issues.

 

As a result of governments failing to combat systemic corruption, defend rights, and consult citizens, several higher-scoring nations are even seeing their rankings decrease. 

 

In Asia Pacific, New Zealand (CPI score: 88), Singapore (85), and Hong Kong are the top achievers (76). But the majority of nations are much below the world average of 43. This includes North Korea (86), Afghanistan (16), and Cambodia (23), three of the nations with some of the lowest rankings in the world (16).

 

Some of the world's most populated nations, including China (45) and India (40), as well as other developed nations with sizable economies, including Indonesia (38), Pakistan (28) and Bangladesh (26). The deterioration of anti-corruption institutions in some of these countries, or in some cases the absence of an agency to coordinate anti-corruption operations, is a worrying trend. 

 

Asia's Erosion Of Rights

Sadly, not much has changed after ten years of massive rallies in Asia demanding action against corruption. Instead, strongmen – populist leaders in democratic nations and authoritarians elsewhere – have appropriated public fury.

 

Such leaders have been successful in convincing voters that they are more effective than government institutions, which has allowed them to take power and maintain it in countries like China, India, and the Philippines (33). However, only a small number of these nations have been able to make progress in reducing corruption, and these successes continue to be precarious. Furthermore, in most nations, corruption is growing due to stringent limitations on the civil liberties, such as freedom of expression and association that permitted citizens to protest in the streets and demand action.

 

Particularly troubling is the situation with ‘’India’’. While the nation's ranking has stayed unchanged over the past ten years, several of the controls that could help control corruption are deteriorating. Given the deterioration of fundamental rights and institutional checks and balances, there are worries about the nation's democratic standing. The police, political militants, criminal gangs, and dishonest municipal officials have all attacked journalists and activists, who are particularly vulnerable. Defamation, sedition, hate speech, contempt of court, and restrictions on foreign funding have all been directed at civil society organizations that criticize the government.

 

Since 2014, China's CPI has increased by 9 points, from 36 to 45. This is consistent with President Xi Jinping's vociferous stance against corruption. In order to discourage investment and economic progress, he has tightened top-down restrictions and cracked down on some of the most egregious kinds of corruption. However, new types of corruption are starting to appear, such as collusion, in which powerful individuals transfer previously owned assets to themselves and businesses with political ties. Furthermore, China's disrespect for fundamental freedoms and human rights limits the effectiveness of its anti-corruption campaign from the outset. As a result, it is hard for civil society and a free press to act as watchdogs against corruption.

Glimmering Signs Of Transformation

There have been some gains in a few nations despite generally slow growth. Over the past ten years, South Korea (62), where civil society is still strong and rights are upheld, has improved 6-points (from 56).

 

Despite having the lowest score in the Pacific at 31, PNG has improved since 2015 (from 25). The government has cooperated with civil society to facilitate this process and changed laws on important subjects, such as creating an independent commission to fight corruption. These laws, however, have not been fully implemented as of yet. 

 

Covid-19 - Gateway To Repression And Corruption

Asian governments launched some of the biggest economic recovery initiatives in the world as a response to the pandemic, along with a significant public health mobilization. However, such massive responses that are carried out without sufficient checks and balances eventually result in corruption. Price inflation, medical supply theft, and the selling of fake goods are all results of improper emergency procurement practices. This increased the COVID-19 vulnerability of many persons and almost probably resulted in fatalities. Despite the fact that journalists, whistleblowers, and a watchful public can assist protect funds from corruption, COVID-19 has also been utilized as a justification to stifle criticism. 

 

Several nations, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, Cambodia, and Singapore, have stepped up their internet surveillance in an effort to stifle critics of their governments' handling of the pandemic. The freedom of speech is being increasingly limited by savage online harassment carried out by trolls with government support as authoritarian countries advance their cyber-surveillance tools. Authorities in Pacific Island countries like PNG and Fiji have reacted to the pandemic in authoritarian ways, giving PNG's prime minister extra authority among other measures. As a result, public oversight and accountability have been eroded. This is part of a larger pattern in Pacific nations that restricts access to authority and consultation; women are disproportionately underrepresented in public decision-making. 

 

Watch List Case For Australia

Australia (73) has dropped four more points this year, continuing one of the biggest global declines (from 85) during the past ten years. The nation still lacks a national integrity commission to stop and catch corruption. Additionally, laws governing lobbying are not up to par with international standards, and corporations paying bribes to win contracts abroad face lax punishment. Other Pacific nations are also at significant risk for corruption due to this deficiency. Many companies operating in the Pacific, especially those in the extractives industry, are registered in Australia. 

 

However, according to the majority of respondents to the 2021 Global Corruption Barometer study (56%), there is pervasive corruption in business and in government contracts (68 per cent).

 

Together with Pacific Island governments, Australia must address these corruption issues and tighten the ineffective anti-money laundering regulations that, according to reports, permit corrupt proceeds to be laundered there and enable offenders to escape punishment.

 

How To Rehabilitate Better?

Economic recovery strategies should address the basic flaws that have resulted in many countries' corrupt systems in order to move forward jointly in sustained anti-corruption initiatives. Only with the participation of informed citizens who are free to congregate, speak out, and expose corruption without fear of retaliation can corruption be effectively controlled and shared prosperity increased. 

 

The ‘2012 Jakarta Statement on Principles’ for Anti-Corruption Agencies, its Colombo Commentary, and regional commitments like the Teieniwa Vision, along with all other measures required by the UN Convention against Corruption, should be adhered to by nations with no anti-corruption agency or weakening institutions.

 

Voting out dishonest politicians is another way that regular people may change the world. For nations hosting elections in 2022 and beyond, strong institutions, voter education, and protected human rights can act as safeguards for free and fair elections.