Report: Global Corruption Uptick Due to 'Weakening Justice Systems'
The Facts
Global corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI) released its annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2023 on Tuesday. The report, which shows 23 countries falling to their worst-ever rating, claimed that the fight against government corruption is losing steam due to "Weakening justice systems that reduce the accountability of public officials."
The Index measures 180 countries on a scale of zero to 100, with 100 being the least corrupt. TI said that in 2023, Denmark was the least corrupt country in the world, with an unchanged score of 90; it was followed by Finland (87), New Zealand (85), Norway (84), and Singapore (83) to round off the top five.
The Spin
Narrative A
As authoritarianism grows around the world, anti-corruption mechanisms are dwindling. This is shown especially in Central Asia — a canary in the global corruption coal mine — where democracy has been on the decline, and police, prosecutors, and courts are prevented from holding the powerful to account. If anti-corruption mechanisms are not put in place, this culture of impunity for the powerful will only worsen.
Narrative B
A report of newfound corruption in Europe should come as no surprise. Since the 1990s, the EU has endured corrupt election supervision systems and pay-for-play sanctions policies, among other scandals. To say Europe and Western powers have only recently become corrupt is an absolute understatement — all too often actors from these countries are the ones facilitating corruption in the Global South.