antikorruption

Antikorruption refers to policies and measures designed to combat corruption in government, business, and civil society. Corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain and includes practices such as bribery, embezzlement, nepotism, fraud, and influence peddling.

The objective of antikorruption efforts is to promote integrity, transparency, and accountability, reduce illicit payments, strengthen the rule of law, and restore public trust and the efficiency of public services.

Core mechanisms include independent anti-corruption agencies, ombudsman offices, inspector general bodies, and robust internal and external audits, supported by transparent public procurement, asset disclosure, conflict-of-interest rules, whistleblower protection, and the use of digital government and open data to increase oversight.

International frameworks provide standards and cooperation: the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, and regional instruments. Measurement of progress relies on indicators from Transparency International, the World Bank governance indicators, and other platforms.

Challenges include limited political will, resource constraints, weak institutions, and elite capture. Effective antikorruption policy requires sustained rule of law, independent judiciary, strong civil society participation, free media, and careful policy design to avoid box-ticking compliance.

Successful measures often involve procurement reform, fiscal transparency, public payroll controls, digitization, independent audits, protective whistleblower regimes, asset declarations, and international cooperation.