Transparency International has just published the 20th edition of the Corruption Perceptions Index. Haiti is ranked 161st out of 175 countries and penultimate of the Americas. The score of 2014, 19, remains the same as in 2013 and 2012; while the Dominican Republic is 115th this year in the global rankings and 10th in the American zone, his score rose from 29 in 2013 to 32 in 2014, returning to the same level as in 2012.

"The 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index shows that economic growth is undermined and efforts to stop corruption fade when leaders and high level officials abuse power to appropriate public funds for personal gain," said José Ugaz, the chair of Transparency International.

"Countries at the bottom need to adopt radical anti-corruption measures in favour of their people. Countries at the top of the index should make sure they don’t export corrupt practices to underdeveloped countries."

More than two thirds of the 175 countries in the 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index score below 50, on a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 100 (perceived to be very clean). Denmark comes out on top in 2014 with a score of 92 while North Korea and Somalia share last place, scoring just eight.

The Corruption Perceptions Index is based on expert opinions of public sector corruption. Countries’ scores can be helped by open government where the public can hold leaders to account, while a poor score is a sign of prevalent bribery, lack of punishment for corruption and public institutions that don’t respond to citizens’ needs.

HL/ HaitiLibre