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State Integrity 2015: How Does Your State Rank For Integrity?

October 9, 2015

How does each state rank for transparency and accountability? "The State Integrity Investigation" used extensive research to grade the states based on the laws and systems they have in place to deter corruption. Use the interactive to see how states scored overall and explore how they performed in each of the 13 categories.

Global Integrity Report: Canada

February 16, 2009

Highlights: Despite strong performance in many areas, Canada continues to struggle with controlling the influence of money in the political process. There are no limits on loans to political parties or candidates, and in nomination and political party leadership races, loopholes allow for secrecy when it comes to financial contributions to candidates. Despite cooling-off periods for officials leaving the executive branch, Members of Parliament and their staff are not subject to any post-government employment restrictions, encouraging a revolving door effect between lawmakers and lobbyists. Meanwhile, the personal assets disclosures of Canadian Senators remain confidential and inaccessible to the public, a bizarre exception for one of the world's wealthier and more developed democracies. Judicial accountability is also weak, with no disclosure of personal assets or gifts, no restrictions on receiving gifts, and a complaints process in which judges judge other judges. Overall, government accountability watchdog agencies (including the police) either lack powers to enforce laws or have a weak enforcement record.This peer-reviewed country report includes:Integrity Indicators Scorecard: Scores, scoring criteria, commentary, references, and peer review perspectives for more than 300 Integrity Indicators.Reporter's Notebook: An on-the-ground look at corruption and integrity from a leading local journalist.Corruption Timeline: Ten years of political context to today's corruption and integrity issues.Country Facts: Statistical context for each country.

Global Integrity Report

February 15, 2009

The Global Integrity Report is a tool for understanding governance and anti-corruption mechanisms at the national level. Written by local researchers and journalists, the Report is characterized by an innovative, award-winning research methodology; a robust peer review process; and start-to-finish transparency. Unlike most governance and corruption indicators, the Global Integrity Report mobilizes a highly qualified network of in-country researchers and journalists to generate quantitative data and qualitative reporting on the health of a country's anti-corruption framework. Each country assessment contained in the Global Integrity Report comprises two core elements: a qualitative Reporter's Notebook and a quantitative Integrity Indicators scorecard, the data from which is aggregated and used to generate the cross-country Global Integrity Index. An Integrity Indicators scorecard assesses the existence, effectiveness, and citizen access to key governance and anti-corruption mechanisms through more than 300 actionable indicators. It examines issues such as transparency of the public procurement process, media freedom, asset disclosure requirements, and conflicts of interest regulations. Scorecards take into account both existing legal measures on the books and de facto realities of practical implementation in each country. They are scored by a lead in-country researcher and blindly reviewed by a panel of peer reviewers, a mix of other in-country experts as well as outside experts. Reporter's Notebooks are reported and written by in-country journalists and blindly reviewed by the same peer review panel.

Global Integrity Report: Pakistan

February 15, 2009

Highlights: Pakistan has a very strong anti-corruption legal framework, but practical implementation is a different story, as seen in the weak scores for the anti-corruption agency, law enforcement, and government accountability across all branches of government. Media reporting during the February 2008 elections contained political bias, with women being misled by local television broadcasters to believe they were unable to participate. Pakistan's civil society organizations remain vocal but are not transparent in terms of their funding, which is suspected to come primarily from foreign sources. Despite an increased score for law enforcement accountability from last year's assessment, Pakistan's police force remains "infested with political interference," with bribes a commonplace occurrence.This peer-reviewed country report includes:Integrity Indicators Scorecard: Scores, scoring criteria, commentary, references, and peer review perspectives for more than 300 Integrity Indicators.Reporter's Notebook: An on-the-ground look at corruption and integrity from a leading local journalist.Corruption Timeline: Ten years of political context to today's corruption and integrity issues.Country Facts: Statistical context for each country.

Global Integrity Report: China

February 15, 2009

Highlights: China shows a small overall improvement from 2007 due in part to a new access to information regulation, which helped bolster citizen access to ombudsman reports and auditing records. Our lead researcher cites a "freer" internet where some criticisms of government are allowed to remain, but at the same time journalists continue to work in a threatening atmosphere where they risk imprisonment for collaboration with foreign media outlets. China lacks a legal framework for regulating political financing due to the fact that political party expenditures are "covered by the central government" and businesses typically do not influence politics through donations, but rather through personal contacts. The national ombudsman is connected to the ruling party and whistle-blowing regulations are disregarded in practice, providing very few outlets for citizens or civil servants to voice their concerns. This peer-reviewed country report includes:Integrity Indicators Scorecard: Scores, scoring criteria, commentary, references, and peer review perspectives for more than 300 Integrity Indicators.Reporter's Notebook: An on-the-ground look at corruption and integrity from a leading local journalist.Corruption Timeline: Ten years of political context to today's corruption and integrity issues.Country Facts: Statistical context for each country.

Global Integrity Report: Nigeria

February 15, 2009

Highlights: Nigeria continues to suffer from poor accountability across all branches of government and the civil service. While citizens' right to access information is embedded in the regulations of some specific agencies, a general freedom of information act has been sitting in the Nigerian legislature since 1999. There continues to be little protection for whistleblowers, however the creation of internal anti-corruption units in government ministries does provide some hope for effective whistleblower outlets in the future. The Public Procurement Act of 2007 is still in the process of being fully implemented, but it is viewed as having already had a positive effect on Nigerian procurement practices.This peer-reviewed country report includes:Integrity Indicators Scorecard: Scores, scoring criteria, commentary, references, and peer review perspectives for more than 300 Integrity Indicators.Reporter's Notebook: An on-the-ground look at corruption and integrity from a leading local journalist.Corruption Timeline: Ten years of political context to today's corruption and integrity issues.Country Facts: Statistical context for each country.

Global Integrity Report: Russia

February 15, 2009

Highlights: Russia continues to face challenges in accountability across branches of government, which, in addition to an almost non-existent whistle-blowing culture, serves to increase the power and influence of the ruling political party. While government claims to support a more robust civil society, distinctions are made between domestically and internationally funded non-profit groups. Freedom of the media remains severely restricted in Russia, with the government applying direct pressure on media owners and intimidating journalists. However, Russian public opinion does not rest entirely with the free press movement. Citizens' "paradoxical" relationship with the government and its uneasiness with full democratic change can be seen in a poll noting how "two thirds of Russians are enthusiastic supporters of society's democratic development, but they are not so sure about freedom of the press." There is also a popular mistrust of the judicial system, where all appointments to judicial posts in the last five years have been granted to former members of law enforcement rather than lawyers.This peer-reviewed country report includes:Integrity Indicators Scorecard: Scores, scoring criteria, commentary, references, and peer review perspectives for more than 300 Integrity Indicators.Reporter's Notebook: An on-the-ground look at corruption and integrity from a leading local journalist.Corruption Timeline: Ten years of political context to today's corruption and integrity issues.Country Facts: Statistical context for each country.

Global Integrity Report: West Bank

February 15, 2009

Highlights: The West Bank faces serious problems with its governance and anti-corruption framework, not surprising given the territory's conflict-riddled history. Civil society, government accountability, administration and civil service, and the rule of law are all rated as very weak. Other bad news includes an ineffective audit institution, weak regulations on political financing, and a lack of institutional mechanisms through which citizens can gain access to public information. Nevertheless, there is some good news. There is a relatively strong ombudsman office, voting and election monitoring are generally inclusive and secure, and the justice system is accessible and fair to most citizens.This peer-reviewed country report includes:Integrity Indicators Scorecard: Scores, scoring criteria, commentary, references, and peer review perspectives for more than 300 Integrity Indicators.Reporter's Notebook: An on-the-ground look at corruption and integrity from a leading local journalist.Corruption Timeline: Ten years of political context to today's corruption and integrity issues.Country Facts: Statistical context for each country.

Global Integrity Report: United States

January 30, 2008

Highlights: The United States has a generally strong anti-corruption and governance framework, through troubling exceptions exist, contributing to recent high-level lobbying and corruption scandals. Official secrecy is increasing. Lobbyists exploit loopholes in campaign finance regulations. The United States lacks a true ombudsman; instead a collection of oversight agencies, few of them truly independent, monitor different aspects of governance. The Inspectors General (IG), a key element of this framework, has received considerable political pressure, and IG appointments often go to party loyalists. In the civil service, political appointments made by the president without congressional approval have increased 33 percent between 2000 and 2005 (FEMA leadership during Hurricane Katrina was an example of these appointments at work).This peer-reviewed country report includes:Integrity Indicators Scorecard: Scores, scoring criteria, commentary, references, and peer review perspectives for more than 300 Integrity Indicators.Reporter's Notebook: An on-the-ground look at corruption and integrity from a leading local journalist.Corruption Timeline: Ten years of political context to today's corruption and integrity issues.Country Facts: Statistical context for each country.

Global Integrity Report: India

January 30, 2008

Highlights: India has a moderate governance framework, with several strong institutions. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) is noted for being independent and well staffed. India scores well in tax processes, public procurement and privatization processes. Budget processes, executive accountability and legislative accountability can be improved, yet are above the international median score. Judicial accountability is a notable exception; it is accessed as very weak. Other bad news includes nepotism embedded in the civil service; journalists harassed for reporting on corruption; and an increase in off-the-books campaign finance arrangements. Citizens may dispute the moderate assessment: pessimism about corruption is pervasive.This peer-reviewed country report includes:Integrity Indicators Scorecard: Scores, scoring criteria, commentary, references, and peer review perspectives for more than 300 Integrity Indicators.Reporter's Notebook: An on-the-ground look at corruption and integrity from a leading local journalist.Corruption Timeline: Ten years of political context to today's corruption and integrity issues.Country Facts: Statistical context for each country.

Global Integrity Report: Mexico

January 30, 2008

Highlights: Mexico has a strong legal framework for fighting corruption, but the practical reality is one of very weak governance and anti-corruption, in part due to the influence of narcotics cartels. Mexico is "one of the most dangerous countries for journalists in the world" because of threats from political figures and narcotics gangs, discouraging corruption investigations. Civil society is less restricted, often playing a role directly in policy making. The widespread influence of executive branch authority over the anti-corruption agency and law enforcement agencies (appointing members and approving investigations according to executive discretion) limits the effectiveness of these institutions.This peer-reviewed country report includes:Integrity Indicators Scorecard: Scores, scoring criteria, commentary, references, and peer review perspectives for more than 300 Integrity Indicators.Reporter's Notebook: An on-the-ground look at corruption and integrity from a leading local journalist.Corruption Timeline: Ten years of political context to today's corruption and integrity issues.Country Facts: Statistical context for each country.

Global Integrity Report: Israel

February 12, 2007

This peer-reviewed country report includes:Integrity Indicators Scorecard: Scores, scoring criteria, commentary, references, and peer review perspectives for all 290 Integrity Indicators.Reporter's Notebook: An on-the-ground look at corruption and integrity from a leading local journalist.Corruption Timeline: Ten years of political context to today's corruption and integrity issues.Country Facts: Statistical context for each country.