by Phyllis Korkki - Dec. 5, 2009
The New York Times

When a business or individual can skirt the law by paying bribes to corrupt officials, the playing field becomes uneven, making the economy vulnerable. According to the newest Corruption Perceptions Index from Transparency International, perceived levels of corruption are highest in countries where government infrastructure is lacking.

Defining corruption as “the abuse of entrusted power for private gain,” Transparency International ranked 180 countries by interviewing experts and business people both inside and outside each country.

“Fragile, unstable states that are scarred by war and ongoing conflict linger at the bottom of the index,” Transparency International says. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is seen as the least corrupt, Somalia comes in dead last with a score of 1.1. Afghanistan and Myanmar rank almost as low.

And the country perceived as being the least likely to foster corruption, at least according to the index, is New Zealand, followed by Denmark, Singapore and Sweden.

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