In my studies on corruption and the measures taken around the world on tackling it, I’ve observed one singular thing: The more the number of anti corruption agencies in a country, worse their ranking on corruption by worldwide organisations!
It doesn’t take a PhD to realise the commonsense reason: Multiplicity leads to:
1. Lack of accountability in performance
2. Overlapping of functions
3. Inefficiencies that actually lead to an increase in corruption
The note below gives in brief the basis of my conclusions. Read for yourself.
Now you may argue that the US which also has 6 institutions listed (of which some are private ) has a corruption ranking of 17 while India which also has 5 + a List! Has a ranking of 70. WHY? That’s answered by the report of the World Bank (also quoted below). The QUALITY and EFFICIENCY of delivery of public services in India is pathetic. That’s why a multiplicity of ACAs has resulted in an INCREASE in Corruption. The case for one effective institution like the Lokpal & Lokayukta with ALL the ACAs coming under it is emergent to fight corruption.
@jsvasan
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. – Marcel Proust
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The single most comprehensive list of Anti Corruption links on the web is here.
This list itself shows that almost every country has but one nodal agency. The EU has two – one for EU as a whole and one for Global.
If you scroll down the list only India has SIX INSTITUTIONS listed as having some role in anti corruption. See Appendix 1. The other countries that list with more than 1 or 2 are (along with Corruption ranking 2009):
Sl. Country Corruption Rank
1. USA 17
2. Argentina 83
3. Brazil 54
4. Mexico 79
5. Colombia 61
6. Liberia 70
7. INDIA 70
A perusal of this list in conjunction with corruption ranking by world audit organisation (click here) their ranks mentioned alongside (above).
The list also has another “List” listed for India with a link that doesn’t work!! There are no such entries for any other country’s anti-corruption agencies.
The World Bank Study on “Reforming Public Services in India” (Feb 2006) says:
“Nor is the country well organized to combat corruption: A multiplicity of overlapping anti-corruption agencies, and dilatory legal processes for tackling cases, has made it difficult to bring the corrupt to book. India’s campaign finance regime also has potentially negative effects on service delivery: The unregulated cost of elections – and the lack of legitimate funding sources, including a system of public funding – has created incentives to extract rents from administrative functions, including the delivery of services, to fund campaign expenses or pay back contributors. Despite, these systemic problems, many innovations in service delivery have taken place in different sectors and states with positive results for citizens, as this report shows.”
And goes on to add:
“1.6 The lack of accountability in turn provides opportunities for corruption. India ranked in ninetieth place in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) in 2005. Nor is the country well organized to combat corruption: A multiplicity of anti-corruption institutions with overlapping functions undermines their coherence: A patchwork of Lok Ayuktas, State Vigilance Commissions, and Anti-Corruption Bureaus with widely varying functions constitutes the system for punishing corruption in India’s states. Because law and order is a state subject, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) cannot pursue corruption allegations against a member of the All-India Services, including the IAS, without state government permission. Departmental disciplinary processes are weak: Civil servants have misused Article 311 of the Constitution, which provides protection against wrongful dismissal, to draw out cases against them to extreme lengths, making it difficult to remove a government servant for non-performance. The Hota Committee on Administrative Reforms has recommended that Article 3 11 be amended to allow for the expedited removal of civil servants involved in corruption cases.”
A multiplicity of ACAs has resulted in an INCREASE in corruption in India as is evident from India’s 2005 ranking Vs it’s 2008 ranking on Corruption.
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Appendix 1
Below are links to some organizations fighting corruption at the regional or international level. Please visit their sites and learn more about their efforts.
Anti-Corruption Intergovernmental Organisations | Other International Organisations | Other Organisations by Country:
| Albania | Argentina | Austria | Australia | Brunei | Brazil | Bulgaria | China | Columbia | Ecuador | El Salvador | Hong Kong | India | Indonesia | Italy | Korea | Malaysia | Mexico | New Zealand | Paraguay | Peru | Philippines | Sierra Leone | Singapore | South Africa | Thailand | USA |
Anti-Corruption Intergovernmental Organisations
African Development Bank Group
African Parliamentarians Network Against Corruption (APNAC)
African Union
Anti-Corruption Network (ACN) for Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
Council of Europe
European Anti- Fraud Office (OLAF)
European Commission
European Partners Against Corruption (EPAC)
Global Organization Against Corruption (GOPAC)
GOPAC-Europe
International Chamber of Commerce
International Group for Anti-Corruption Coordination (IGAC)
International Monetary Fund
Interpol
Organisation of American States
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
Resource Center of Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative for South East Europe
Sothern African Development Community (SADC)
United Nations Criminal Justice Information Network (UNCJIN)
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
UN Global Compact
World Bank
Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (STaR) – World Bank and UNODC
World Economic Forum
Other International Organisations
International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA)
International Association of Anti Corruption Authorities (IAACA)
International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF)
Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC)
TRACE International
Transparency International
Other Organisations by Country
Albania
Supervision of the internal audit
Argentina
Anticorruption Office, Ministry of Justice and Human Rights
General Audit of the Republic of Argentina
Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia). Available only in Spanish
Trust in Argentina (Confianza en Argentina). Available only in Spanish
Austria
Federal Bureau for Internal Affairs
Australia
Independent Commission against Corruption
Brunei
Anti-Corruption Bureau
Brazil
Tribunal de Contas da Uniao
Controladoria-Geral da União – CGU
Public Ministry campaign-“O que você tem a ver com a corrupção”
Transparency Portal
UNODC Brazil
Bulgaria
Financial Intelligence Agency
Anti-corruption Coordination Commission
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
China
Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC)
Colombia
Presidential Programme to the Fight Against Corruption (Programa Presidencial de Lucha contra la Corrupción)
Transparency for Colombia (Transparencia por Colombia)
UNODC Colombia
Ecuador
Comisión de Control Cívico de la Corrupción
El Salvador
Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s Independent Commission against Corruption (ICAC)
India
Central Vigilance Commission
Department of Public Enterprises
Election Commission
Ministry of Law & Justice
Central Bureau of Investigation
List of Agencies in the Government of India Fighting Corruption
Indonesia
Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission (CEC), Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (KPK)
Italy
” Per una Cultura dell’Integrità nella Pubblica Amministrazione”, Scuola Superiore della Pubblica Amministrazione (SSPA)
Korea
Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission(ACRC)
Liberia
Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL)
Taking the fight against corruption to communities
Repository of corruption stories reported in the Liberian media
Malaysia
Anti-corruption Agency in Malaysia
Mexico
Comisión Intersecretarial para la Transparencia y el Combate de la Corrupción (CITCC)
The Republic of Montenegro Agency for Anti-Corruption Initiative
Information in English and Crnogorski
New Zealand
State and Service Commission, Integrity and Conduct
E-government in New Zealand
Paraguay
Integrity National Plan (Plan Nacional de Integridad). Available only in Spanish
Contraloría del Paraguay
Peru
Anti-corruption National Commission (Comisión Nacional Anticorrupción)
Philippines
Office of the Ombusdman
Transparent Accountable Governance
Sierra Leone
Anti-Corruption Commission of Sierra Leone
Singapore
Corruption Practices Investigation Bureau
South Africa
Public Service Commission
Thailand
Office of the National Counter Corruption Commission
U.S.A
U.S.A. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (Combating Corruption in the Multilateral Development Banks)
Interagency Ethics Council: Standards of conduct for federal employees
IGnet – Federal Inspectors General
Office of Government Ethics
The Brookings Institution
United States Department of Commerce Office of General Counsel