Most Latin American countries have a good legal framework for fighting corruption but they hardly ever succeed in implementing these laws effectively. This is one of the main findings of the Global Integrity Report 2007 by Global Integrity, an independent information provider based in Washington, D.C., which assessed 55 countries, including Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico and Costa Rica.
Nathaniel Heller, Managing Director at Global Integrity, recently presented the report at IDB headquarters in Washington, D.C., along with a Global Integrity Index–a comparative country assessment that combines qualitative journalism with quantitative data, drawn from more than 300 indicators, to evaluate the existence and effectiveness of anti-corruption mechanisms in each country.
Heller said that the Global Integrity Index does not try to measure corruption or the perception of corruption in the countries assessed. Instead, it takes a broader approach to looking at the anti-corruption mechanisms in place, including the legal framework and government accountability. This marks a fundamental difference with the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) produced by Transparency International, a global NGO based in Germany that promotes awareness in the fight against corruption.
The data shows that the scores for Latin American countries assessed in the report are comparable to those for the US and some European countries in the area of legal frameworks for fighting corruption. But there is a substantial gap when it comes to the actual implementation of the law, which brings down those countries’ overall scores in the comparative integrity index. (See table.)
The report suggests that there is lots of room for improvement, particularly in empowering citizens to monitor their government to prevent abuses of power; as well as in increasing the autonomy of oversight institutions, with better funding and technical capacity; and in strengthening controls on political financing.
The report also highlights the importance of a free media and the presence of a dynamic civil society, in addition to internal anti-corruption mechanisms, as key to implementing a system of checks and balances to minimize corruption.
The IDB—the most important source of multilateral financing for Latin America and the Caribbean—has taken a strong stand in the fight against corruption. The Bank is working closely with its member countries to enhance their public integrity systems and to avert corruption. The Bank also coordinates efforts with other international financial institutions to leverage results with harmonized approaches to fighting fraud and corruption. As of 2007, the Bank began publishing the names of individuals and firms found responsible for violating the public trust in projects financed by the IDB.
Source: Global Integrity