governance myths

Some people still believe that corruption is a development “disease” experienced only by developing countries.  Actually, for some of us who lived for many years in low or middle income countries, we can tell that among the population there is a general perception that governments, politicians and citizens in the developed world do good and are exempt from corruption.

This perception might not prove wrong if we think in comparative or relative terms.  However, it doesn’t mean that developed countries are corruption-free.  Dani Kaufmann has blogged about this myth and specific cases, such as Hotel Baranoff in Alaska.  Recent events in the US and Europe bring again this debate into light.  For instance, earlier this week Senator Ted Stevens was convicted of receiving bribes from an oil company based in Alaska.  A few weeks ago, the OECD claimed that the UK was lacking the will to tackle corrupt firms –this issue was also raised during the 2008 Corruption Perception Index release by Transparency International.