BERLIN (AP) – Countries with less corruption have been best positioned to address the economic and health challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a closely monitored annual study released Thursday by an anti-graft organization.
Transparency International’s 2020 Corruption Perceptions Index, which measures the perception of public sector corruption according to experts and business people, concluded that high-performing countries invested more in health care, were “more capable to provide universal health coverage and are less likely to violate democratic norms. “
“COVID-19 is not just an economic and health crisis,” said Delia Ferreira Rubio, head of Transparency. “It’s a corruption crisis, which we can’t handle right now.”
This year’s index showed that the United States hit a new low amid a steady decline under Donald Trump’s presidency, with a score of 67 on a scale where the 0 is “highly corrupt” and the 100 it’s “very clean.”
This still placed the United States in 25th place on the list in a draw with Chile, but behind many other Western democracies. It dropped from scores of 69 in 2019, 71 in 2018 and 75 in 2017, and dropped to the lowest level since there have been comparative data.
“In addition to alleged conflicts of interest and abuse of office at the highest level, in 2020 the weak oversight of the $ 1 trillion COVID-19 aid package raised serious concerns and marked the withdrawal of the rules. long-standing democracies that promote responsible government, “said the Berlin-based Transparency report.
According to the analysis of the report, the link between corruption and the response to coronavirus could be widely seen around the world.
For example, Uruguay scored 71 points, ranking 21st on the list. It invests heavily in health care and has a strong epidemiological surveillance system, which has helped not only with COVID-19, but also with other diseases such as yellow fever and Zika, Transparency said.
By contrast, Bangladesh, which scored 26 points and ranked 146th on the list, “invests little in health care while corruption flourishes during COVID-19, which goes from bribery to health clinics to improperly appropriated aid, ”Transparency wrote. “Corruption is also widespread in the procurement of medical supplies.”
Even in New Zealand, which ranked No. 1 as the least corrupt nation with a score of 88 and has been praised for its response to the pandemic, there was room for improvement, Transparency noted.
“While the government is openly communicating about the measures and policies it is implementing, more transparency is needed around public procurement for the recovery of COVID-19,” the organization wrote.
Overall, of 180 countries surveyed, two-thirds scored below 50 out of 100 and the average score was 43.
Denmark and New Zealand tied for first place as the least corrupt countries, with 88 points, followed by Finland, Singapore, Switzerland and Sweden with 85, Norway with 84, the Netherlands with 82 and Germany and Luxembourg with 80 to round out the top 10 .
Australia, Canada, Hong Kong and Britain finished 77th in 11th place.
Somalia and South Sudan have been the worst with 12 points to place them in 179th place, behind Syria with 14, Yemen and Venezuela with 15, Sudan and Equatorial Guinea with 16, Libya with 17 and North Korea, Haiti and the Democratic Republic of the Congo with 18.
Since 2012, the first point of comparison available with the current methodology, 26 countries have improved significantly, including Greece, which increased 14 points to 50, Myanmar, which increased 13 points to 28, and Ecuador, which increased 7 points a 39.
At the same time, 22 countries have declined significantly, including Lebanon, which fell 5 points to 25, Malawi and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which fell 7 points to 30 and 35 respectively.
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