Wednesday, December 04, 2013

Something to be proud of

We've topped the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index as the world's least corrupt country again:
New Zealand has retained its top spot and gained a point from last year in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index.

Both New Zealand and Denmark received a score of 91 out of 100 for joint leadership in the index, which ranks the transparency of public sectors across 177 countries.

The figures, released by the Transparency International Secretariat in Berlin, rank countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be.

Australia came ninth on the list, below the Netherlands and Switzerland.


But while this is good news, you do have to wonder how much that perception reflects reality. There have been several disturbing cases of public service corruption in recent years (and our politicians remain as venal and self-aggrandising as ever). Which really does make you wonder how much is going on undetected...