Corruption Index graphic, the darker red the country the more corrupt says Transparency International. Photo Credit Facebook Transparency International
According to Transparency International’s Corruption Index, Finland is the 2nd least corrupt nation in the world.
It scored 88 out of the 100 possible points awarded from the NGO Transparency International and sits just two points after world leader Denmark. Transparency International bases its figures on known cases of corruption in each country and focuses on the political integrity of each country.
Transparency International says it has one mission to create “a world free of corruption.” And that their “global movement works in over 100 countries to end the injustice of corruption by promoting transparency, accountability and integrity.” They go on to say that as corruption becomes more prevalent and complex, over two thirds of the world’s countries are added to below the Corruption Index’s mid-point. Corruption “Affects billions of people worldwide, destroying lives, undermining human rights and exacerbating global crises. It blocks real action where it’s needed most.”
The NGO’s Finnish branch, although supportive of Finland’s ranking, noted that it has many vulnerabilities in tackling corruption head on. The chair of the board for Transparency International Finland, Ilkka Penttinen Fouto, has said that “The risks associated with structural corruption, that are typical for us, may not be taken into account in the index.” Meaning that there is scope for error in the data for each country- given that the system only monitors known corruption cases.
Transparency International have link corruption to the global climate crisis
It is difficult for policy makers at the heart of corruption to make vital changes needed to better the environment and lower CO2 levels, when by doing so they would upset businesses in which they have oil and gas shares.
They say that corruption has “obstructed adoption of the ambitious policies and measures needed to address climate change, favouring the interests of narrow groups over the common good. The corruption crisis is a huge obstacle to solving the climate crisis.”
Corruption is still rife for most of the world’s countries
Transparency International have also noted that whilst 32 countries have made significant reductions in their corruption levels since 2012, 148 countries have remained the same or worsened in the same period of time.
For now Finland can celebrate its steps in the right direction and the rest of the world can take notes.
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