Assessment of Corruption and Crime affecting the Business Sector in the Western Balkans (2012 2013)

 

Despite much progress in increasing transparency and good governance in Western Balkans countries over the past few years, there is an increasing body of evidence that corruption is still widespread and pervasive in the region and affects large segments of society and public administration.

More specifically, in 2010, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime carried out comparable corruption household surveys in the region with funding under the CARDS project 'Assessment of Corruption and Crime in the Western Balkans'. The surveys produced a strong evidence base on the nature and role of corruption as experienced and perceived by individual households across the region and will help to target and strengthen efforts to fight corruption affecting the population.

At the same time, it is widely acknowledged that corruption and crime, when affecting the business sector, can have devastating consequences on the business climate and economic development of whole countries. This project proposal directly addresses this issue by proposing to carry out 'Assessment of Corruption and Crime affecting the Business Sector' in the seven Western Balkan countries who are current or aspiring candidate countries to the EU.

The surveys will be implemented in cooperation with national statistical institutes or other local data providers in order to strengthen national capacities to implement similar surveys in the future.

 

The overall objective of the project is to strengthen integrity and transparency in the business sector of seven Western Balkans economies by providing evidence-based assessments of the patterns and nature of corruption and crime.

The specific objective of the project is to produce assessments of corruption and crime affecting the business sector based on comparable sample surveys in seven countries/areas of the Western Balkans while simultaneously strengthening national capacities to produce evidence-based assessments of corruption and crime in the business sector through full involvement of national data producers and anti-corruption agencies.

The results of the project will be:

  • Assessment reports of the nature and patterns of corruption and crime affecting the business sector in the region
  • Increased knowledge to develop, implement and monitor policies to prevent and fight corruption and crime affecting the economy
  • Strengthened capacities of local data producers to carry out national surveys on corruption and crime.

 

Relevant publications/ reports: