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Dan Hough
Dan Hough is a Professor of Politics at the University of Sussex. He is also Director of the Sussex Centre for the Study of Corruption (SCSC). He is a regular tweeter at @thedanhough
Integrity – having recognisable principles that act as a guiding compass – seems to be lacking in football just as it is in public life.
Despite Covid-19 upheavals, their performances appear to have held up. But the index is only useful in picking out broader trends, and more can be done to fight corruption.
In China, whistle-blowing remains risky and the media is not free to probe. If Beijing is serious about tackling corruption, it has to make more transparent its processes in decision making, policy setting and accountability, establish judicial and legislative independence, and empower citizens.
The new corruption index shows little has changed in China, Hong Kong and elsewhere. Broadly speaking, independent institutions and a free press are vital to keeping a check on those in power, and laws need to be implemented.
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China’s corruption problem won’t be solved just through the numerous jailings of high-profile officials, but will require a systemic solution that will make progress slow
The Independent Commission Against Corruption is 40 this year. But any suggestion that the ICAC model can be transferred to mainland China is wide of the mark. If Chinese officials want to seriously tackle corruption, then they are going to have come up with more innovative ideas than that.
The recent story of widespread vote-buying by Hunan legislators is certainly eye-catching. The fact that 518 of the 527 members of the Hengyang city people's congress are alleged to have accepted bribes exceeding 110 million yuan (HK$139 million) reveals a culture of corruption that has surprised even hardened China-watchers.
This week saw the world's most prominent anti-corruption non-governmental organisation, the Berlin-based Transparency International, publish its annual Corruption Perceptions Index, the group's best-known attempt to measure perceived levels of corruption around the world.
