The constant gardener
Transparency International
Anna Lanoszka,
University of Windsor
Mary Pardi,
University of Windsor
In many countries around the world, bribe payments and other forms of corruption are common. Transparency International (TI) was created to increase awareness about this problem. Founded in 1993 by Peter Eigen and colleagues, TI is a non-partisan organization whose main goal is not to investigate individual cases of corruption, but to eradicate corruption on a global level. TI is financed by government development agencies and foundations, donations from the private sector, project funds from international organizations, and income from its publications. That its funding is transparent and diverse allows TI to maintain a sense of independence and non-partiality. TI has over eighty national chapters that are financed separately by membership fees, donations, and project funds. National chapters are notably absent from China, Saudi Arabia, and Japan.
TI publishes an annual Corruption Perceptions Index. While not exhaustive, the index assesses the level of corruption in various nations, using seventeen different surveys that examine the perspectives of citizens and expatriates. The 2003 Index looked at the perception of corruption in 133 countries. TI also publishes a Bribe Payers Index (BPI) which examines the levels of bribes offered by exporting nations.
TI is responsible for drawing international attention to corruption and plays an important role in creating a resource and knowledge base for the fight against it. At the same time, however, negative reviews can adversely affect developing nations that are struggling with a corrupt government. The indexes do not examine the peculiarities and individuality of nations and can serve as a means to discriminate against them.
Suggested Readings:
Transparency International website.
www.transparency.org (accessed 22 December 2004).