Vocabulary

The Rankings

Denmark, Finland and Sweden are considered the least corrupt nations in the world, according to the latest survey by Transparency International (TI), a Berlin-based organization.

Of the 177 countries included in the 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index, more than two-thirds scored below 50 (where 0 indicates the country’s public sector is regarded as completely corrupt, and 100 as absolutely clean).
 

The Index

The index is based on perceptions of corruption in public institutions like political parties, police and justice systems, according to experts and business people.

Denmark, Finland, Sweden, New Zealand and the Netherlands performed best with scores of 92, 91, 89, 88 and 87 respectively. Sudan (12), Afghanistan (11) and North Korea (4) came in last place.
 

Corruption

“All countries still face the threat of corruption at all levels of government, from the issuing of local permits to the enforcement of laws and regulations,” said Huguette Labelle, TI’s Chairwoman.
 

Declines

In Syria, where a conflict which began in 2011 and has exploded into open warfare, people regard its public sector as increasingly corrupt. The stricken nation dropped 9 points from 144th place to 168th.

Libya, Yemen, Guatemala and Madagascar were among the other countries whose scores declined significantly.
 

Improvements

Myanmar saw the biggest improvement, rising from 5th last position in 2012 to 19 places from the bottom this year.

The change reflects the introduction of more open and democratic policies after years of military dictatorship, according to TI’s Asia-Pacific Director, Srirak Plipat.

Myanmar also ratified an international treaty against corruption in December 2012 and the parliament approved an anti-corruption law in July, although this is yet to come into force.

While Greece’s score rose four points this year to 40, it has remained the lowest ranking country in the European Union in 80th place.

Brunei, Laos, Senegal, Nepal, Estonia, Lesotho and Latvia also improved.

The U.S. did not change from last year, ranking 19th with a score of 73, and neither had China (83th and 37).
 

Solutions

Transparency International called on public institutions and officials to be more open, and that easy access to information systems and rules governing the behavior of public officials can help a country improve; while a lack of transparency, accountability and weak public institutions worsens the situation.

“Corruption can be beaten if we work together,” said Labelle. “To stamp out the abuse of power, bribery and shed light on secret deals, citizens must together tell their governments they have had enough.”
 
 
 

Questions

Corruption, Graft. The United States, Britain and Australia were the “winners”; they are the “cleanest” countries, according to Transparency International. True or false?

Embezzlement. Describe or explain the scoring system or the Corruption Perception Index. Is the raking objective, subjective or somewhere in between?

Fraud, Trickery. What are some examples of corrupt practices?

Bribery. All countries are improving; they are becoming less corrupt. Is this right or wrong? Are countries improving, getting worse, staying the same, or it varies? Why are they becoming more or less corrupt?

White Elephant, Pork Barrel. What can be said about the most and least corrupt countries?

Swindle, Rip-Off, Scam. Give examples or causes of backgrounds corruptions of different countries.

Waste, Bloated Government. How can corruption be eliminated, reduced or minimized? Is it only the government’s responsibility?
 
 
 
Nepotism. Do people in your town, city, country sometimes complain about corruption? Give examples of corruption or corrupt practices.

Cronyism, Favoritism. What causes corruption?

Cook the Books, Falsify. What is the solution to corruption?

Money Laundering. Do citizens protest and demonstrate against corruption?

Opacity vs Transparency. Technology will eliminate corruption. What do you think?

Accountability, Probity, Governance. What do you think will be the future of corruption? Will it be reduced, get worse or stay the same?