Executive summary
Corruption has an adverse impact on prosperity and democracy. It deepens inequalities and weakens economic growth, erodes the resilience and proper functioning of democracies, and impedes representation and trust in government. Countries around the globe have therefore invested, particularly in recent years, in strengthening their anti-corruption and integrity frameworks. However, this work is far from finished, and frameworks need to be improved if countries are to continue safeguarding prosperity and democracy.
The 2024 Anti-Corruption and Integrity Outlook aims to support OECD countries’ efforts to fight corruption and uphold integrity. Drawing on data in the OECD Public Integrity Indicators, the Outlook sheds new light on how key aspects of countries’ integrity frameworks are currently performing and points at opportunities for improvements. It also explores how key global challenges, namely the green transition, Artificial Intelligence, foreign interference and so-called strategic corruption, will increase pressure on countries’ anti-corruption and integrity frameworks, especially where they are weakest. The Outlook also addresses how in turn the shortcomings in anti-corruption and integrity systems can hinder or block countries’ responses to these major challenges.
Against the goal of achieving a fully comprehensive anti-corruption and integrity framework composed of all necessary elements, OECD countries continue to make improvements. Such frameworks are becoming more comprehensive and sophisticated, yet the implementation of some of their elements remains inadequate. While the majority of OECD countries adopt a strategic approach to anti-corruption and integrity, the average implementation rate of planned activities stands at 67%, indicating that around one-third of the planned actions have not been carried out. Similarly, regulations on risk management and internal control are generally robust, but in practice only a handful of OECD countries conduct systematic risk assessments. Furthermore, despite having strong regulations on conflict of interest, OECD countries have implemented an average of only 40% of standard practices in this area. And, sanctions for non-compliance are rarely enforced. While certain aspects of anti-corruption and integrity frameworks, such as the proactive disclosure of key datasets, have relatively high implementation levels, there is a significant gap in several key areas. Overall, OECD countries meet an average of 61% of standard criteria for regulations, but the implementation rate drops to 44%, resulting in an implementation gap of 17 percentage points. This gap means that the intended effects of legislative and regulatory frameworks are not being realised, hindering countries’ ability to effectively mitigate corruption risks.
Moreover, many OECD countries are not adequately collecting data and information on the implementation of their anti-corruption and integrity frameworks. For instance, most OECD countries do not collect data on the extent of national budget audits or whether recommendations by internal auditors are followed. Additionally, many countries, including those with mandatory cooling-off periods, do not track the post-employment activities of public office holders, making it difficult to ensure compliance with revolving door rules. This significant gap in data and information collection hampers the ability to monitor the effectiveness of policies and processes and their impact on corruption risks and integrity. Indeed, 60% of OECD countries do not monitor the implementation of their anti-corruption and integrity strategies, highlighting a considerable monitoring gap. Improving data collection is essential for enhancing monitoring and evaluation of systems and achieving sustainable improvements. Although the OECD Public Integrity Indicators are addressing this data gap, strengthening national data collection efforts is crucial.
Finally, in addition to enhancing implementation, data collection, and monitoring, the scope of action in anti-corruption and integrity efforts needs expansion. While many OECD countries focus on traditional areas such as human resources management and public procurement in their anti-corruption strategies, there is a need to address emerging corruption and integrity risks, such as those related to the green transition. Increased engagement between government and business during the green transition heightens vulnerability to risks, necessitating a more proactive approach. Additionally, leveraging AI (Artificial Intelligence) as a key anti-corruption tool and tasking relevant actors with developing such tools can enhance anti-corruption efforts. Furthermore, OECD countries must urgently incorporate considerations of foreign interference and strategic corruption risks into their strategic approaches to anti-corruption and integrity. Adjusting lobbying, conflict of interest, and political finance policies and practices is crucial to safeguarding the prosperity and democratic systems of OECD countries.