Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI)

Corruption: a societal ill affecting not only Southern countries, but also originating in the North

Many countries considered “poor” or “developing”, across all continents, have considerable, if not abundant, natural resources. Even among the least well supplied, historical documents demonstrate that before colonisation, the standard of living in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East was not necessarily worse that of Europe. One of the major obstacles stems from unequal access to resource-generated revenue.

To measure embezzlement and corruption, in 1995 the non-governmental organisation Transparency International developed an annual index: the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). It is calculated using 14 sources from 12 independent organisations that measure the frequency and scope of monetary fraud in the public and private sectors, in addition to subjective perceptions of the existence of corruption. The result is an index ranging from 0 (extremely corrupt) to 10 (not at all corrupt).

verall, in 2007, the OECD countries came out with a CPI of 6 to 10. The most virtuous are still the Scandinavian countries, while southern Europe, notably Italy, still has a more mediocre rating. Some southern countries achieve an honourable rating, such as Chile, Uruguay, South Africa, or Malaysia. However, most countries of Latin America, Africa, Asia, and central and eastern Europe have a high level of corruption.

It is noteworthy that countries which for years have been under virtual western guardianship, such as Afghanistan and Iraq, always report among the highest levels of corruption.