Column : Corruption perception rises as GDP slows

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Arvind Virmani: Jan 10 2013, 00:47 IST

Over the last few years, there has been a lot of discussion in India about increasing corruption in the country. This discussion has been based largely on a number of high-profile cases that have hit the headlines, such as those relating to A Raja during his tenure as telecom minister and the visible failures relating to the Commonwealth Games. In this note, we use Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index to look beneath the media headlines to see what has happened to corruption in India during the past two decades.

The graph shows the absolute value of the corruption perception index (CPI) score given by Transparency International (TI). The index is based on a collection of surveys that ask people their perception of the degree of corruption in India and other countries. A score of 100 indicates ‘non-corrupt’. As the TI CPI started in 1995, that is the earliest year in the graph.

According to this index, there was no visible trend in corruption between 1995 and 2003, as the index fluctuated and the level of perceived corruption in 2003 was almost identical to that in 1995. The index shows a sharp improvement in corruption from 2004 to 2007 and then a deteriorating trend till 2011. These two periods coincide roughly with UPA-I and UPA-II, respectively. The level of perceived corruption was significantly better at the end of the UPA-I government’s tenure than before it took over. This good performance was reversed during the UPA-II government and corruption increased steadily till

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Kaushik Saha | 10-Jan-2013Reply | Forward

Whoever the so called economist who wrote this article thinks only barren land is needed for industrial growth.No need of roads,power general security for skilled workers & executives come to Gujarat. Just think if Narendra modi was CM of Bihar with its much water,minerals hard working labor force had used his visionary strength to get give security, used water to its max utility built world class infrastructure and marketed it worldwide like Vibrant Bihar what could have been achieved.