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BERLIN — One person in four worldwide paid a bribe during the past year, according to a study released Thursday to mark International Anti-Corruption Day.
The study, by the Berlin-based non-governmental agency Transparency International, focuses on small-scale bribery and was put together from polls conducted among more than 91,000 people in 86 countries and territories.
In the past 12 months, one in four paid a bribe to one of nine institutions, such as health, education or tax authorities, according to the 2010 Global Corruption Barometer.
But it was the police who proved most corrupt, according to the study which reported that 29 percent of those having dealings with police said they had paid a bribe.
Corruption Rises Over 3 Years, More People Paid Bribes
Corruption increased globally over the last three years as more people paid bribes in countries across the world, according to a Transparency International survey.
A quarter of 91,500 people surveyed reported paying a bribe to an institution or for services from health to education to tax authorities in the last year, Berlin-based Transparency said in the 2010 Global Corruption Barometer report on its website.
Some 60 percent of people believe corruption has risen since 2007, according to the report, which covered respondents from 86 countries and territories.
“Corruption is insidious,” Huguette Labelle, chairwoman of the monitor group, said in the report. “The good news is that people are ready to act.”
www.transparency.org
...“The results of this year’s CPI show again that corruption is a global problem that must be addressed in global policy reforms. It is commendable that the Group of 20 in pursuing financial reform has made strong commitments to transparency and integrity ahead of their November summit in Seoul,” said Labelle. “But the process of reform itself must be accelerated.”
TI calls on the G20 to mandate greater government oversight and public transparency in all measures they take to reduce systemic risks and opportunities for corruption and fraud in the public as well as in the private sector.
The message is clear: across the globe, transparency and accountability are critical to restoring trust and turning back the tide of corruption. Without them, global policy solutions to many global crises are at risk...
Why do I cringe when I see global policy reform and G20 in the same paragraph?
www.transparency.org
...How is TI financed?
TI values its independence very highly, and we maintain it through the transparency of our funding and the diversity of our sources. The bulk of TI's income comes from government development agency budgets and foundations. Other sources of income include project funds from international organisations, donations from private sector companies and income from honoraria and publications. By not relying on just one source, TI is able to maintain its independence. In order to guarantee financial independence, TI is planning to set up an endowment fund. TI's National Chapters are financed independently from the international TI movement. This means that, with few and strictly limited exceptions, TI neither contributes to the budgets of its National Chapters, nor is it funded by them. Sources of income of National Chapters include membership fees, donations from individuals and corporations, court-imposed fines and project funds from donor agencies and governments...
www.transparency.org
...Transparency International is a global network including more than 90 locally established national chapters and chapters-in-formation. These bodies fight corruption in the national arena in a number of ways. They bring together relevant players from government, civil society, business and the media to promote transparency in elections, in public administration, in procurement and in business. TI’s global network of chapters and contacts also use advocacy campaigns to lobby governments to implement anti-corruption reforms.
Politically non-partisan, TI does not undertake investigations of alleged corruption or expose individual cases, but at times will work in coalition with organisations that do...