Anti-Corruption Agencies
Anti-corruption agencies are important, and contested, players in the fight against corruption. Find the latest evidence on their value and performance on this theme page
The number of Anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) around the world has increased dramatically over the past decades. Nevertheless, the value of ACAs is increasingly being questioned by international donors and national governments. Frequently, ACAs are not considered to deliver on the high expectations bestowed upon then. The question is by which measure - and how - we assess the performance of these institutions, and how we can best improve their performance. On this page you can:
- Find out what it means when article 6 of the UN Convention against Corruption requires states to ensure the existence of a body or bodies to prevent corruption
- Get guidance on how to monitor and evaluate ACAs
- Read the UNDP publication on how to perform a capacity assessment of an ACA
- Find recommended readings debating the role and value of ACAs
- Find links to the relevant associations for ACAs around the world
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Integrating anti-corruption measures in Georgia’s newly established competition agency
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Recommended Reading
Author:
Francesca Recanatini
Release date:
December 2011
Anti-corruption authorities: an effective tool to curb corruption?
The study addresses the question of what makes ACAs an effective policy tool to combat corruption, or, conversely, what the factors are that may help to reinforce the ability of ACAs to resist efforts to undercut effectiveness. The data is based on a short survey of 50 ACAs as well as seven case studies. It challenges the negative view of ACAs common amongst many practitioners, whilst underscoring that success factors, such as political will and commitment, clear mandates, and performance indicators, are often necessary for success
Author:
de Sousa, Lu
Release date:
January 2009
Anti-Corruption Agencies: Between empowerment and irrelevance
This paper gives a useful yet brief overview of recent issues around anti-corruption agencies (ACAs), from their development, over trends to features and reasons for success or failure. It argues that approaches to establishing ACAs in the past have often been too stereotype, not looking enough into contextual factors and performance criteria. The general features/principles of independence, inter-institutional cooperation, recruitment and specialisation, competences and specia powers as well as institutional durability are discussed more in detail. While there are a serious of possible internal and external factors for institutional failures, the article highlights also a series of (un)intended errors committed at the conception phase of ACAs. The author also argues that anti-corruption activity should be regarded as an important aspect of study in itelf, as opposed to much research still focussing on corruption as the problem.Links
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