Transparency International’s 2009 corruption survey is out. There is no improvement in the swathe of corruption that stifles the work of everyone. It is a dirty scum of waste that feeds the rich, all over the world.
The report notes that in the US corporations spent an average of $200,000 a year on lobbying every politician elected to state legislatures and it points to the corrosive impact of 16,500 lobbyists working to influence the European Union in Brussels.
We’ve consistently derided the corruption that acted as a catalyst for the global financial crisis – because ratings agencies had a conflict of interest and failed to highlight the high levels of risk of financial products they did not understand, a form of corruption.
Transparency International:
- Read more on the Global Corruption Report here.
- Download the report here.
- Read Transparency International’s Policy Positions on key issues related to private sector corruption, such as countering cartels, controlling corporate lobbying and financing of political activities, building corporate integrity systems to address corruption risks and making anti-corruption regulation effective for the private sector.
I’m surprised to see that corporations spend only $200,000 a year lobbying government. The headline “KBR, Halliburton Agree to $579 Million Fine for Nigeria Bribes” caught my eye (listed in the Global Corruption Reort). The numbers quoted in that article give an idea of the financial power of some companies. (full article at http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=ah.RxXpnU1fg&refer=us).