The benefits of anti corruption programming: implications for low to lower middle income countries
The consequences of corruption are typically examined in terms of the economic costs that they impose on a society. This study suggests that as good an argument can be made for the inverse relationship: significant benefits can be accrued by countries that effectively implement anti corruption programming. Together, a powerful cost benefit analysis can serve to motivate practical anti corruption policy planning and action. An advantage of the "benefits" approach is greater data reliability. The study finds that strong implementation of anti corruption initiatives is more important to achieving social, political, economic and human development benefits for society than merely establishing a good legal institutional framework to fight corruption. Raising public expectations without strong delivery of visible anti corruption programming is especially detrimental. Most interestingly, the study finds that a country's level of development and wealth has little to do with its level of anti corruption programming. Thus, it is not a good excuse for Vietnam or other developing countries to point to their level of development or wealth as a reason for why they are not doing as much as they can to implement anti corruption reforms effectively. A country's wealth is not a predictor of progress or success in this area.