Multi-pronged Strategies for Combating Corruption

Corruption prevails where there is ample opportunity for corruption at little cost. Incentive structures encourage corrupt behavior. Anticorruption strategies therefore aim at reducing the opportunities for corruption while increasing the expected cost, i.e. the risk of being caught and severely punished.

Applying this to anticorruption programs means to move beyond public administration and financial management reform to look at broader structural relationships, including the internal organization of the political system, the relationship between the state and firms, and the relationship between the state and civil society.

Subtopics:

• Political Accountability
• Civil Society Participation
• Competitive Private Sector
• Institutional Restraints on Power
• Public Sector Management 

Institutional Restraints on Power  Independent & effective Judiciary   Legislative oversight  Independent prosecution, enforcement		Political Accountability Political competition, credible    political parties  Transparency in party financing  Asset declaration, conflict of    interest rules
Civil Society Participation  Freedom of information  Public hearings of draft     laws  Role for media/NGOs		Competitive Private Sector  Economic policy reform  Competitive restructuring of     monopolies  Regulatory simplification for     entry  Transparency in corporate     governance  Collective business associations
Public Sector Management  Meritoric civil service with monetized, adequate pay  Budget management (coverage, treasury, procurement, audit)  Tax and customs  Sectoral service delivery (health, education, energy)  Decentralization with accountability

Experience has demonstrated that there is no single model to determine how these relationships should be structured to minimize the risks of corruption. Yet, they all work towards the same goal: to enhance state capacity and public sector management, strengthen political accountability, enable civil society, and increase economic competition.