Review of anti-corruption strategies Rob McCusker - Australian ...

This model suggests that, if corruption is symptom of governance failure, any anti-corruption strategy
should target the failures of governance which facilitate the corrupt action rather than the corrupt
behaviours (Shah 2006).
Rather than simply then creating an anti-corruption strategy and seeking to apply it, an evaluation should be
carried out of which types of anti-corruption strategy are likely to be most effective in the short and long
term. In essence, this evaluation effectively creates a framework within which the prospective impact of anticorruption
measures can be viewed prior to implementation. This pre-implementation profiling should
recognise the diversity of transitional or developing economies and enhance the likely impact of any anticorruption
strategy applied to them. A final component of the pre-design stage could consider strategy
issues at individual, organisational and national levels. This could include assessments at the level of:
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the citizen, of sustainable, independent and coordinated strategies for controlling or minimising small
scale corruption
major contracts and senior political institutions and administration, of strategies for controlling or
minimising corruption
the state, of procedures and training within state or public sector institutions in general for promoting a
public service culture (Doig 1998).
The variation in the likely impact of anti-corruption strategies due to different governance conditions and
patterns of corruption across countries should also be noted. A possible framework to facilitate an
understanding of such variance would:
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assess a country’s governance and operating environment
review the range of anti-corruption measures that are in use internationally and the conditions and
prerequisites for measures that have achieved success
link the analysis of the country governance environment and patterns of corruption with the global
menu of anti-corruption measures
seek and build key anti-corruption champions in the country; without broad-based coalitions behind
anti-corruption efforts the agenda can be undermined by resistance to reforms
ensure authoritative and actionable leadership and management structures of anti-corruption are
relevant to a country’s governance and operating environment
develop and strengthen processes and mechanisms for regularly monitoring and reporting feedback
on anti-corruption policies and programs.
Anti-corruption instruments need to pursue a set of policies and programs that go beyond relying on
government leadership and regulation because state institutions are generally weak and agencies and
officials more likely to be part of the problem than instrumental in the provision of solutions. Engaging
external participation in anti-corruption processes involves forging broad based coalitions to increase
pressure for anti-corruption actions, following policy reforms that eliminate administrative opportunities
for corruption, reinforcing media independence and citizenship participation, enhancing the effectiveness
and accountability of independent oversight institutions and building the capacity and independence
of prosecutorial agencies and the judiciary with appropriate checks and balances for holding them
accountable to the public (Bhargava & Bolongaita 2004).
Design
In essence, anti-corruption strategies are usually framed in terms of a relationship between a principal and
an agent. Corruptive practices exist in this context because the public (the principal) is unable to control
the actions of its political, and, by extension, bureaucratic agents.