Now it is beginning to be accepted that corruption is not a private matter between corrupted and corruptor, but something that may distort and degrade whole economies and cultures.

One obvious factor is the frustration felt at the realisation that, in the last 40 years, so much money has been spent on development aid yet in many countries there is so little to show for it. It is now recognised that poor governance (virtually a synonym for corruption) is a significant cause of the failure.

Whilst noting this growing move to identify corruption as “the single greatest impediment to development”, a word of caution is perhaps appropriate. First, in contrast to some other major Third World issues, there is a serious problem of measurement. Debt, for example, and the cost of servicing it, can be calculated. The devastating impact of arms supplies in areas of conflict is very obvious, even if defence budgets are shrouded in secrecy. Details of the fluctuations in commodity prices and their impact on export figures are readily obtained. Yet who can measure the actual amount of corruption when, almost by definition, the whole business is a secret?

‘Corruption’ is a very broad term. It covers fraud (theft through misrepresentation), embezzlement (misappropriation of corporate or public funds) and bribery (payments made in order to gain an advantage or to avoid a disadvantage). The different types of corruption are likely to be closely linked. Globalisation is increasing the dangers, diminishing the authority of governments (especially the weaker and poorer ones), and inadvertently giving new openings for the criminal world to globalise as well. READ MORE…