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Interviews | Huguette Labelle, chairperson of Transparency International interviewed by ET

Huguette Labelle, chairperson of Transparency International interviewed by ET

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published Published on Dec 2, 2011   modified Modified on Dec 2, 2011

India has scored 3.1 (down from 3.3 last year) on a scale - where 10 indicates very clean and zero, highly corrupt - of Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). The CPI focuses on corruption in the public sector, involving public officials, civil servants or politicians. 

The data sources used to compile the index include questions relating to the abuse of power and bribery of public officials, kickbacks in public procurement, embezzlement of public funds etc. 

Huguette Labelle , chairperson of Transparency International, tells ET that when it comes to combating corruption, India is definitely moving in the right direction, despite its disappointing showing in the recent survey. 

Edited excerpts from a recent interview: 

How do you do about putting together a study on corruption? 

We have been using a number of ways to try and provide a strong indication of the levels of corruption in countries and in sectors. Some of this is based on the perceptions of people. 

For example, when we publish our Barometer (or the people's survey) every year, we ask very specific questions like: "How much did your family have to pay in bribes last year?" "In what sectors and to gain access to what kind of services (were these bribes paid)?" "What is your family's revenue?" This gives a more specific picture of the degree of corruption. 

In a recent survey, three out of four Indians said their family had to pay bribes - particularly in the areas of healthcare and land ownership. The average for the rest of the world is one out of four. 

How did you get people to speak about their corruption-related experiences? 

India's is a very vibrant and open society, and that's a plus. Our information is based on official surveys conducted by the World Economic Forum along with a number of reputed economists and surveying institutions. 

That's why we did not find it difficult to access people's perceptions or their stories about bribery. Corruption used to be a thing we did not openly talk about. But since the mid 90s, we've become more open about it. Today, it's good that it's on the table, so governments can try and do something about it. 

Industry looks at corruption as a major business risk. It makes those who have the choice be more selective about where they want to operate. 

By designating certain countries more corrupt than others, aren't you jeopardising their chances of doing business and receiving investment? 

We want to be fair to the country but also provide a true picture. Surveys, however, are a small part of what TI does. We try to develop tools, and work with industry and governments to solve the problem of corruption. We see ourselves more as a solutions provider. 

The surveys create incentive for people to do something about corruption. With governments, we have developed a number of 'integrity pacts' - to be used during bidding to ensure full transparency between bidders and the entity seeking the bid. If anyone is caught, they're disqualified or have to pay a fine. The idea is to try and get companies to band together in a zerotolerance mode, no matter what the sector.
 
 

The Economic Times, 2 December, 2011, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/interviews/three-out-of-4-indian-families-had-to-pay-bribes-says-transparency-international-chief-huguette-labelle/art


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