The below data on competitiveness are taken from the World Bank's Doing Business Report and on corruption from Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index.
First the good news: among 183 countries world-wide, Greece moved up from 100 to 78 in the Doing Business Report. While that still leaves Greece at the bottom of European countries, it is quite a significant improvement.
The not-so-good news is that among 174 countries world-wide, Greece declined from 80 to 94 in the Corruption Perceptions Index. Not only is that a significant decline but it also moved Greece to the last position among European countries (the year before, Greece was second-to-last before Bulgaria).
On the Corruption Perception Index: as the name suggests, this is based on perceptions and does not necesssarily reflect the actual situation (which is not measurable). As the economic crisis got worse, Greeks perceived corruption to go up. That could either be a change in perception or intensified perceptions due to the crisis.
First the good news: among 183 countries world-wide, Greece moved up from 100 to 78 in the Doing Business Report. While that still leaves Greece at the bottom of European countries, it is quite a significant improvement.
The not-so-good news is that among 174 countries world-wide, Greece declined from 80 to 94 in the Corruption Perceptions Index. Not only is that a significant decline but it also moved Greece to the last position among European countries (the year before, Greece was second-to-last before Bulgaria).
On the Corruption Perception Index: as the name suggests, this is based on perceptions and does not necesssarily reflect the actual situation (which is not measurable). As the economic crisis got worse, Greeks perceived corruption to go up. That could either be a change in perception or intensified perceptions due to the crisis.
| Doing Business | Corruption Perception | |||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Rank | Country | Rank | |||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | 2013 | 2011 | 2012 | |||||||||||||||||
| Denmark | 5 | 5 | Denmark | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Norway | 6 | 6 | Finland | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| UK | 7 | 7 | Sweden | 4 | 4 | |||||||||||||||
| Finland | 11 | 11 | Netherlands | 7 | 9 | |||||||||||||||
| Sweden | 14 | 13 | Luxemburg | 11 | 12 | |||||||||||||||
| Iceland | 9 | 15 | Germany | 14 | 13 | |||||||||||||||
| Ireland | 10 | 15 | Belgium | 19 | 16 | |||||||||||||||
| Germany | 19 | 20 | UK | 16 | 17 | |||||||||||||||
| Estonia | 24 | 21 | France | 25 | 22 | |||||||||||||||
| Macedonia | 22 | 23 | Austria | 16 | 25 | |||||||||||||||
| Latvia | 21 | 25 | Ireland | 19 | 25 | |||||||||||||||
| Lithuania | 27 | 27 | Cyprus | 30 | 29 | |||||||||||||||
| Switzerland | 26 | 28 | Spain | 31 | 30 | |||||||||||||||
| Austria | 32 | 29 | Estonia | 29 | 32 | |||||||||||||||
| Portugal | 30 | 30 | Portugal | 32 | 33 | |||||||||||||||
| Netherlands | 31 | 31 | Slovenia | 35 | 37 | |||||||||||||||
| Belgium | 28 | 33 | Poland | 41 | 41 | |||||||||||||||
| France | 29 | 34 | Hungary | 54 | 46 | |||||||||||||||
| Slovenia | 37 | 35 | Lithuania | 50 | 48 | |||||||||||||||
| Cyprus | 40 | 36 | Czech Republic | 57 | 54 | |||||||||||||||
| Spain | 44 | 44 | Latvia | 61 | 54 | |||||||||||||||
| Slovakia | 48 | 46 | Slovakia | 66 | 62 | |||||||||||||||
| Hungary | 51 | 54 | Romania | 75 | 66 | |||||||||||||||
| Poland | 62 | 55 | Italy | 69 | 72 | |||||||||||||||
| Luxemburg | 50 | 56 | Bulgaria | 86 | 75 | |||||||||||||||
| Czech Republic | 64 | 65 | Greece | 80 | 94 | |||||||||||||||
| Bulgaria | 59 | 66 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Romania | 72 | 72 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Italy | 87 | 73 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Greece | 100 | 78 | ||||||||||||||||||
A fascinating post!
ReplyDeleteMy own experience, and others around me, is that corruption has considerably declined, especially in the last year. The expectation of fakelakia in public hospitals has dropped to near zero, and civil servants in Demos offices have changed behaviour toward the better, in fear of being fired.
On the other hand, we have watched government protect the so-called elite throughout 3 years of crisis. We are told they are 'impossible to catch'. Even when caught, they appear in court and are out on the streets again. Since NOBODY is impossible to catch, or deal with, they clearly have protection. Leading even the most conservative among us to conclude that nothing will ever change until the old centrist parties have been removed once and for all from power.
Since corporations and the very rich account for well over 60% of the tax take each year this question has become extremely urgent for the 75% of the greek population that cannot stagger much further under its present burden to make up the short fall.
I suggest that this is the reason Greeks are perceiving More Corruption rather than Less. Government protected high level corruption has become a massive, blundering, fly-ridden and completely unavoidable Elephant in the Room.
This article seems timely.
Deletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/world/europe/oligarchs-play-a-role-in-greeces-economic-troubles.html?pagewanted=1&tntemail1=y&_r=0&emc=tnt