4. Strategy and Programming

One important lesson of current experience on formulating anti-corruption strategies is that prevention is better than cure. The TI approach has also shown that a positive focus rather than accusatory or punitive attitudes can lead to success by building confidence in individuals and institutions. Quick, demonstrable wins, however small, also contribute to confidence building.

Perhaps more fundamental is the key message that, since corruption can itself be pervasive and active at any level, so too must be the measures taken against it, working from the top down and the bottom up on as broad a front as possible, encouraging partnerships in support organizations, involving all stakeholders and being persistent in pursuing the objective over the long term. Projects of 3 or 5 years duration are not adequate. Inseparable from this is the necessity to be equally persistent in monitoring impact and doing so through a variety of agencies external to the systems under reform.

External accountability has to be encouraged through a multi-stakeholder approach with interaction and support between participating groups. New public agencies created specifically to combat corruption are not the way ahead.

Anti-corruption measures may be instituted by incorporation into activities primarily directed at other issues or they may be more overtly initiated by establishing complaints systems or, as was successful in one reported case, training householders to monitor construction quality as a defence against petty corruption.

If the target is higher level institutional reform of governance it is likely to be feasible only through large international organizations, such as TI, that command an appropriate degree of leverage.

Other inferences from current experience are that reforms may founder without strong institutions. Capacity building is therefore important and is a necessary adjunct to advocacy and awareness raising. It is also seen that awareness raising alone is a wasted exercise unless allied to an implementation programme.

This section of the TOP elaborates on all these issues and makes the point too that, at this stage, many tools and specific strategies have been developed to reduce corruption and increase transparency – 90 or more are listed in Appendix 3.

It is suggested that, while it will be useful to develop more, the real need now is to ensure that tools are adapted to specific local social and economic conditions and are consistently applied.