The Guardian has put out a global map showing the level of corruption country-by-country based on data (also available at this link) from Transparency International. Apparently, Canada is less corrupt than we are. This is just a screen grab so go to link for interactive map.
The Guardian
Flickr, by AMagill
Circle of money
The Associated Press recently caused a firestorm in global health circles with a (somewhat questionable) report describing instances of fraud and corruption in the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria.
Given the echo chamber nature of the media, the AP’s version of this story is still out there bouncing around on the InterWebs producing copycat reports typically headlined something like “Corruption Plagues Global Fund.”
As I wrote yesterday, this was no small exaggeration given the actual level of identified problems (about 0.003 percent of all grants). Further, the AP story was written as if this was a major revelation when it was, in fact, the Global Fund itself that identified these cases of fraud — about a year or so ago.
Here are two more reports, one from NPR and another from William Savedoff at the Center for Global Development, that challenge the AP’s story.
Dick Cheney
We’re always hearing about the corruption of African governments, especially so when it comes to Nigeria.
Now, the Nigerians are pointing their collective finger back at us — or, well, at former Vice President Dick Cheney anyway.
Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency has filed bribery charges against Cheney and nine others claiming that while he was CEO of Haliburton he and others spent $180 million bribing Nigerian officials in order to win some gas contracts for Haliburton’s affiliate KBR in the southern part of this oil-rich African nation. Continue reading
Transparency International came out with its annual corruption index this week, based on 2009 data.
Here’s the Atlantic’s take on the most and least corrupt nations.
Here’s the Guardian’s great Data Blog that can help you do your own search.
