Institutions of accountability are ineffective. In societies where the level of public

Sector corruption is relatively low one normally finds strong institutions of accoun-

tability that control abuses of power by public officials.

The commitment of national leaders to combating corruption is weak. Widespread

corruption occurs in the public sector when national authorities are either unwilling

or unable to address it forcefully. In this case it is reasonable to suspect that it

touches the highest levels of government and that many senior office holders are

not motivated to fight it.

Diven the difficulty of detecting and combating corruption it may be advisable

to attempt reforms that assume some governance capacity such as trying to make

civil servants more accountable for results, bringing government decisions closer to

citizens through decentralization, simplifying procedures and reducing discretion for

simple government tasks such as distribution of licenses and permits.

13. Agree or disagree with the statements given below starting your answer

with the following: It’s a real fact that…., It’s true because…., It might

be so…., I have no objection…., Quite correct…., I don’t agree…., It’s

not so…., On the contrary.

1.In corrupt countries public accept the notion that the state pays more

attention to protection of public interests than private ones.

2.The difference of the notions what is “private” and what is “public” is

obvious for citizens.

3.The rules of law are strongly embedded where the judiciary is independent.

4.Enforcement of law is used to further private interests rather than to protect

private interests.

5.Public sector corruption thrives where laws are applied to everybody who is

Involved into it.

6.Strong institutions of accountability that control abuses of power provide low

level of public sector sector corruption.

7.It is well known that national authorities do their best to address the problem

10

forcefully and are very successful in detecting corruption.

8.To combat corruption it is advisable to make civil servants accountable of

transparency for results, bring government decisions close and clear to citizens

through decentralization and simplifying all possible procedures.

14. Complete the phrases according to the model: “It is advisable to make govern-

ment operations transparent for citizens” using the content of the read above text.

It’s important…., It’s necessary…, It’s effective…., It’s obvious…., It’s possible….,

It’s illegitimate…., It’s desirable…., It’s significant….

15. Translate the questions into English and give your answers:

1.Какие общие ключевые движущие причины были вскрыты в результате

изучения случаев коррупции в разных странах ?

2.На страже чьих интересов должно стоять законодательство государства ?

3.Трудно ли различать понятия “частный” и “общественный” ? Почему, как

Вы думаете ?

4. Какие меры необходимо предпринять в борьбе с коррупцией ?

5. Какова роль правительства официальных лиц в борьбе с коррупцией

16. Read the article attentively and write the resume following a few

Tips for Writing Resumes given below.

ANTI-CORRUPTION: UNSHACKLING

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

By Nancy Zucker Boswell, Managing Director, Transparency International (TI) USA,

and Peter Richardson, adviser to TI’s international secretariat

Corruption saps a country’s economy by hampering tax collection, wasting

resources, deterring private investment, discouraging entrepreneurship and

undermining the enforcement of important regulations, says Peter Richardson,

an Adviser to Transparency International and a former director of Transparency

International USA. He says it also disproportionately harms the poor because it

skews economic planning against investments in social services and because the

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poor can least afford to bribe.

“The eligibility requirement of a demonstrated commitment to limit corruption

and promote good governance can be a major step toward changing the incentive

system for development assistance,” says Nancy Zucker Boswell, TI-USA’s mana-

ging director. “It will send an important signal that there will be added costs to

not addressing corruption – ineligibility for assistance.” Boswell and Richardson

argue that the policy changes should start with preventive measures such as civil

service reform where needed and ensuring transparency of all laws and regulations.

They add that countries need to implement a criminal law system where there

“independent prosecutors to bring cases and a competent and independent judiciary

to impose sentences.”

There is a global consensus that corruption in government and business inhibits econo-

mic growth and can perpetuate poverty. Because financial resources are fungible and

corruption drains them, economic assistance to countries that have not demonstrated a

commitment to reducing corruption is unlikely to lead to sustainable development.

This conclusion has led bilateral and multilateral development assistance agencies to

reconsider the criteria for aid recipients and to move toward a greater emphasis on

good governance.

Countries must show by their actions that they are serious about reducing corruption.

Such a “demonstrated commitment” is necessary to establish that countries have the

requisite determination to spur their own economic development and poverty reduction

and to ensure that the intended benefits of such economic assistance will not be dis-

sipated.

CORRUPTION IMPAIRS DEVELOPMENT

Efforts to quantify the economic loss due to corruption are necessarily speculative,

but numerous independent estimates have been made. In an estimate by the World

Bank, which the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

considers conservative, the annual cost of corruption was calculated at more than

$80 billion worldwide – more than the total of all economic assistance.

Large bribes sap a country,s economy, and small bribes - for example, “facilitation”

payments to speed up routine government actions – disproportionately harm the poor.

Where corruption is pervasive it deters the best people from entering government

service, making corruption self-sustaining; and it provides an incentive for those

who have joined the civil service to pursue personal enrichment rather than the

public good. This reduces respect for the law, can facilitate crime and generates cynicism which feeds the expectation that extortion is inevitable and bribery nece-

ssary.

Tax collection becomes more difficult in highly corrupt environments, making higher

tax rates a necessity to obtain required revenue. This can create an incentive for ca-

pital flight.

Pervasive corruption can erode political stability, deterring private foreign and domestic

investment. Even where stability is not a factor, the high likelihood of extortion dis-

12

courages such investment.

Corruption is not the sole cause of countries’ persistent poverty. Poor natural resource

endowments, poor economic management, poor education systems, inadequate infrastructure, poor incentives for farmers and business, poor administration, and the

shortage of savings and capital for investment often contribute. But large-scale corrupt-

tion invariably impairs development.

WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT ?

While it is unlikely to be totally eliminated, large-scale or pervasive corruption is not