Political corruption: What is TI doing?
By Tanu Jalloh
The growth of democracies gives the poor an increasingly relevant political voice. The challenge of translating political voice into development benefits has been undermined by political corruption.
Transparency International, the global anticorruption watchdog, therefore seeks to strengthen the voice of the poor in the most important domestic accountability framework that can ensure ownership, accountability and development results. Fighting corruption in the political sphere allows the poor to benefit from existing rights frameworks, resources and participation opportunities in development processes.
TI's national chapters among them the National Accountability Group (NAG) in Sierra Leone , the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) and Centre for Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) have combined public awareness campaigns on integrity gaps in government with targeted advocacy efforts. TI's work on ranking corruption in local governments, sectors and public service delivery has demonstrated the need for the authentic and politically-enforced participation of the poor in risk assessments, planning and implementation processes. Approaches and pilot tools developed by TI allow the political voice of the poor to translate into a fulfilment of development promises that are made to them. This approach has been successful in leading to political, policy and institutional reforms.
TI is in the process of strengthening the relevance of its anti-corruption work at political and administrative levels to marginalised communities. The institution believes that the fight against poverty and corruption needs to be addressed jointly by civil society actors working in service delivery functions, on rights-based approaches and community development and those fulfilling a challenge function.
The positive experience of TI chapters and other civil society organisations in engaging political representatives is informing the development of new approaches. ‘Face the public meetings', election pledges and development integrity pacts help to forge partnerships and enforce accountability between political representatives and citizens. Partnerships will seek to cover the entire decision-making chain that determine whether marginalized citizens have an equal voice and choice in determining sector policies, budgets and implementation. Working together with the media, civil society and other stakeholders at the national and international level is critical for TI in order to contribute to a concerted global effort that support the poor in exercising their right to corruption free development.
Against this backdrop, ensuring the development effectiveness by fighting corruption was a central motivation of TI´s founding generation. TI has consistently pointed to the responsibility of the giving hand as much as the taking one in fighting corruption. The poor were the ones most affected when overpriced highways were built by foreign companies in favour of feeder road by local labour, when adjustment programmes cut into social services to make up for massive capital flight, when blue print trade policies in many countries destroyed far more jobs than they created.
Corruption is now universally recognised as denying individuals and communities their basic human rights and affecting the very root of development processes. Results from the TI Global Corruption Barometer show that poor respondents consistently pay more bribes than other income groups to receive medical services, attend schools or seek police assistance, Corruption drains international and domestic resources allocated to poverty reduction and reduces the quantity and quality of public services that the poor need most. Corruption can lead to resignation and apathy, undermining the engagement of citizens in their societies.
TI sees the poor as central stakeholders with a pivotal role in fighting corruption. They are the main victims of corruption and have the most to gain from a corruption-free society. Thus it focuses on supporting the rights and opportunities of citizens to participate in their country's political, economic and social development processes. The organisation draws on global and national frameworks – such as the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) - that commit all states to actively promoting the participation of citizens and civil society in public decision-making, increasing the transparency and accountability of political systems and public finances.
But how do we know that the World Bank Global Anti-corruption Convention Implementation Plan is playing out at country level? TI's submission on the GAC implementation expresses its concern about the lack of time bound and specific objectives and resources. The current Implementation Plan suggests a piecemeal and incremental approach with no sense of urgency. In particular, the Plan did not address the need to alter staff incentives to promote Program Integrity. TI recommends that the Country Governance and Anti-corruption Strategies (CGACs) should be drawn up for all – and not only 27 - partner countries within an accelerated timeframe and irrespective of the timing of the Country Assistance Strategy preparation. The creation of a broad-based steering committee that includes civil society as well as parliament and other non-executive branch stakeholders is seen as being essential to steer and monitor the implementation of the CGAC at country level. TI suggests that existing lessons on ensuring institutionalized, inclusive and empowered participation of domestic stakeholders should be taken on board and explicitly addressed during the preparation and implementation of CGAC plans. The Implementation Plan emphasizes Bank Program Integrity as an area needing reform.
While challenges to the effectiveness of aid remain a concern, e valuations commissioned by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) have pointed to areas where development agencies reach their limits. This is particularly true for corruption at the political level. Political corruption undermines efforts of development cooperation that focus mainly on the administrative level of partner countries.
In addition, the OECD identifies scope for improvement in fighting corruption in sector based cooperation and in the context of decentralisation. TI sees great potential in the cooperation between civil society engaged in service delivery and challenges organisations to address both political and administrative levels of corruption.
Such findings are a reflection of how civil society organisations and development agencies have typically promoted transparency and accountability without looking at the limitations that entrenched corruption poses. Complementary initiatives are needed to address the disabling environment that disenfranchises the poor in their own fight against corruption.
