This Anti-Corruption Helpdesk brief was produced in response to a query from the European Commission. The Anti-Corruption Helpdesk is operated by Transparency International and funded by the European Union.
Query
How can we as donors fight petty corruption in recipient countries? What methods can we use beyond the existing control mechanisms to change the culture of petty bribery?
Content
1. Agency-based prevention measures
2. Examples of tools for addressing petty corruption
3. References
Summary
In many developing countries development agency staff may face situations in their interactions with public officials in which they are expected to pay a bribe. Yet there are few operational policies, strategies and tools publicly available to assist agency staff in resisting such extortion.
Measures can be taken at the agency level to empower staff in their interactions with public officials to resist acts of bribery and extortion. Such measures typically involve having clear anti-corruption guidelines and principles in place, building the capacity of staff to deal with such situations, and empowering them to report safely and transparently on such occurrences through internal policies, training and practical guidance.
Donors can also help influence the overall country context by fully harnessing existing internal and external reporting mechanisms and using citizens’ accountability tools, including new technologies, to resist petty bribery.
Authors
Marie Chêne, Transparency International, [email protected]Reviewers
Robin Hodess, Transparency International and Dieter Zinnbauer, Transparency InternationalDate
17/03/2014
