This Anti-Corruption Helpdesk brief was produced in response to a query from a U4 Partner Agency. The U4 Helpdesk is operated by Transparency International in collaboration with the U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre based at the Chr. Michelsen Institute.
Query
What evidence has been gathered of the impact of international asset recovery on the accountability of political elites and on poverty reduction in developing countries? What equivalent evidence exists of the impact of developing country compliance with international anti-money laundering standards? The response should consider, in particular, relevant existing data collection by the World Bank, UNODC and IMF.
Purpose
To describe the empirical evidence of the impact of international asset recovery and anti-money laundering efforts on poverty reduction and accountability of political elites.
Content
1. Introduction
2. Impact of international asset recovery on poverty reduction and political accountability
3. Impact of international anti-money laundering standards on poverty reduction and political accountability
Summary
In recent years there has been a lot of international focus on anti-money laundering and asset recovery in order to mobilise domestic resources for development. However, evidence of the effectiveness of these mechanisms to alleviate poverty and increase accountability of the political elite is few and far between.
Authors
Farzana Nawaz, Transparency International, [email protected]Reviewers
Finn Heinrich, Ph.D., Transparency International, [email protected]Date
17/01/2010
