(pix: Michigan.gov)
By Sam Becker
Corruption and economic turmoil often go
hand-in-hand. In western nations like the United States
Oftentimes, specific power structures and
government architectures provide an easier means for corrupt politicians,
businessmen, or military officials to exploit the system. Many governments have
their roots in constitutions from generations ago, and have outgrown their
current systems. Many other countries are ruled by a variety of independent
tribal leaders and often lack a centralized power structure with any meaningful
sway.
Transparency International developed a
comprehensive list of the world’s most corrupt nations last year, and the
countries that top the list probably won’t come as much of a surprise to many.
The study ranks countries on a scale from 0 to 100, with zero being the most
corrupt, and 100 being the least.
Of course, corruption comes in a variety of
forms, so getting a precise gauge is difficult. But perception itself is a
very strong tool, and can have a big effect on its own. If the study reveals
anything, it’s that the world overall has a huge issue in terms of corrupt
officials. By looking at the Corruptions Perception Index, along with the
existing power structures and economic systems within each country, the picture
does become a bit clearer. That’s why we dug a little deeper, examining the
rankings for ourselves.
Although not among the top ten, we’ve included
the United States on the
list to give perspective as to where America U.S.
is sitting fairly pretty, although it’s common knowledge that there are
definitely issues with how things are run in Washington Russia , Mexico , or Venezuela
Here are the most corrupt nations in the
world, as ranked by Transparency International, with additional insight into
the issues and factors plaguing each one.
