Anti-Corruption and Good Governance:

Adressing the Problem at all Levels

Governance is receiving increasing attention because of its importance for improving aid effectiveness. An issue of particular concern is the corruption that exists in partner countries. It undermines development performance, and hits the poor particularly hard

Scanteam has experience from local community and anti-corruption work, support for "access to information" and media, and local administration and corruption issues. We have worked on strengthening the justice sector, developing Rule of Law approaches, and improving parliamentary oversight functions. Scanteam has worked on public finance management to reduce corruption, and provided capacity building and advice to strengthen the public administration's anti-corruption attitudes, practices and policies.

Scanteam has a partnership with Rambøll Management for anti-corruption tools that range from analysis and diagnostics of problems at local organisation to systemic institutional levels, to tracking corruption through the organisational structure and activity cycle.

Anti-corruption Study

Scanteam carried out a desk study of "good practice" approaches to anti-corruption based on a first bibliography of nearly 800 titles, and a mapping of activities by four donors across development partners.

The study proposed a modified definition of Corruption, and looked at how to address the issue. The challenge is that corruption is a "public bad" and thus something to be reduced rather than a service or good that is provided in response to a need. Information on corruption is costly to obtain and verify, its ramifications tricky to uncover, and the often embedded and widespread occurrence makes it difficult to identify changes and attribute causes. The methodological problems are hence significant. The study therefore suggests an analytical framework that can be applied to address the problem better.