Global Corruption Barometer for 2013 is relased

Posted by: admin | Posted on: Июль 9, 2013

Transparency Azerbaijan is pleased to present 2013 Global Corruption Barometer by Transparency International, Global Coalition against Corruption. This report is the only worldwide public opinion survey on views and experiences of corruption. As a poll of the general public, it provides an indicator of how corruption is affecting individuals on a national level and how efforts to curb corruption around the world are viewed on the ground. The 2013 Barometer, the eighth edition, reflects the responses from 114,00 people in 107 countries. See Frequently Asked Questions and Answers attached for more details on methodology. Governments need to take this cry against corruption from their citizenry seriously and respond with concrete action to elevate transparency and accountability,” said Huguette Labelle, chair of board of Transparency International.

The main global findings of the 2013 Barometer are given below in comparison with data for Azerbaijan.

Major global findings	Tendencies in Azerbaijan
More than one person in two thinks corruption has worsened in the last two years.	In Azerbaijan one quarter of the respondents (28%) agree with this conclusion, which is a progress from 2010, when half of the people surveyed shared this opinion (52%); while 41% of those surveyed believe that the level of corruption decreased and one third (32%) think it has remained the same.
Globally people assess corruption as a serious problem, infringing human rights and democracy.	The same as elsewhere, people in Azerbaijan believe that corruption in the public sector is a serious problem and assess it at 3.6 score on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 stays for a minimum and 5 for a very serious problem.
The Global Corruption Barometer 2013 also found that in too many countries the institutions people rely on to fight corruption and other crime are themselves not trusted. Over the globe, police and judiciary are seen as the sectors most prone to corruption.	In Azerbaijan health services and judiciary are viewed as the most corrupt followed by the police, civil servants, education and business sector (each . As compared to 2010 results, people believe that the police (the champion of 2010); civil service and education became less corrupt; while business sector and religious bodies deeper plunged into corruption.
	a scale from 1 minimum to 5 for extremely corrupt	2010	2013
	Health services	—	3.1
	Police	3.6	2.9
	Civil service	3.3	2.8
	Education	3.3	2.8
	Judiciary	3.2	3.1
	Political parties	2.6	2.5
	Private sector	2.6	2.8
	Military	2.6	2.5
	Parliament	2.5	2.5
	NGOs	2.5	2.5
	Media	2.4	2.5
	Religious bodies	1.9	2.3
Around the world, people’s appraisal of their leaders’ efforts to stop corruption is worse than before the financial crisis began in 2008, when 31 per cent said their government’s efforts to fight corruption were effective. This year it fell to 22 per cent.	In contrast, in Azerbaijan 68% of respondents believe that government’s efforts to combat corruption are effective, as compared to 66% in 2010.
Survey participants also firmly believe they can make a difference and have the will to take action against corruption. Nearly 9 out of 10 people surveyed said they would act against corruption. Two-thirds of those who were asked to pay a bribe had refused, suggesting those governments, civil society and the business sector need to do more to engage people to fight corruption.	The same as elsewhere, 71% of respondents believe that ordinary people can make a difference in the fight against corruption and 81% of people are willing to fight corruption themselves, which is an increase from 2010 when 68.6% of respondents stated that they could imagine themselves getting involved in fighting corruption.
Comments from Transparency Azerbaijan
Unlike 2010 contradictory results, when more than half of the respondents in Azerbaijan agreed that corruption level was increasing and, at the same time, even more people assessed government’s efforts to fight corruption as effective, the 2013 findings are more consistent. Only about one third believe that corruption has increased and the same proportion finds the government’s efforts to combat corruption ineffective. This is most probably explained by adoption by the government of Azerbaijan in September 2013 of the two major action plans to combat corruption; introduction of feedback mechanisms by public agencies (hotlines, open door days, civil society oversight mechanisms, etc); launch of public service centers (ASAN) in early 2013, delivering a limited number of public services in an efficient, prompt and transparent way. Visible decline of corruption in the police can be explained by significant reforms in the road police system and introduction of “smart transport system” on major streets and roads which, inter alia, ensure video records of the police behavior and sets a good standard of transparency for other agencies to follow. The majority of respondents believe that the government is able to combat this serious challenge in Azerbaijan by execution of a profound reform of the whole system of public administration, as well as a mobilization of public opinion, social institutions and civil society. Most people can imagine themselves to involve in the fight against corruption and more than half would report an incident of corruption. This can be related to active efforts of Azerbaijan civil society to raise public awareness of corruption and to render legal aid to citizens, for eg, by Transparency Azerbaijan Advocacy and Legal Advice and Legal Resource Centers and work of other NGOs like Fund of Struggle Against Corruption, Education on Human Rights, etc. Transparency Azerbaijan is pleased to know that more people (9%) are familiar without work as compared to 2010 (6%). Read more