India goes up three notches in Global Corruption Index

India has improved its ranking by three positions in the Global Corruption Index 2018 released on Tuesday while the US has dropped out of top 20 countries for the first time since 2011India which was ranked 81st in 2017 is ranked 78 in 2018 according to the latest Corruption Perception Index CPI released by the Transparency InternationalDenmark and New Zealand topped the 2018 index while Somalia Syria and South Sudan were at the bottom respectively China which was ranked 77 in 2017 dropped 10 positions and is ranked 87 in 2018 However Pakistan which was ranked 117 in 2017 is at the same position in 2018As India gears up for its upcoming elections we see little significant movement in its CPI score which moved from 40 in 2017 to 41 in 2018 Despite spectacular public mobilisation in 2011 where citizens demanded that the government take action against corruption and advocated for the passage of the comprehensive Jan Lokpal Act these efforts ultimately fizzled and fell flat with little to no movement on the ground to build the specialist anticorruption infrastructure required the Transparency International said in a press releaseIt said that despite stagnation and declines in the 2018 scores there are promising political developments within the Asia Pacific region particularly in Malaysia 47 Maldives 31 Pakistan 33 and India 41 that will be important to watch moving forwardIn all four countries massive public mobilisation against corruption coupled with significant political participation and voter turnout resulted in new governments that promise extensive anticorruption reforms However despite these encouraging developments we are yet to see how this translates into solid action especially when it comes to combating elusive forms of grand corruption The CPI reveals that the continued failure of most countries to significantly control corruption is contributing to a crisis of democracy around the worldThe Transparency International said that cross analysis with global democracy data reveals a link between corruption and the health of democracies Full democracies score an average of 75 on the CPI with no full democracy scoring less than 50 In 2016 the United States was downgraded from a full to a flawed democracy in the Democracy Index a gradual downward trend which started in 2008 In 2018 the US received its lowest Freedom in the World Index score for political rights since 1972 when measurement beganWith many democratic institutions under threat across the globe often by leaders with authoritarian or populist tendencies we need to do more to strengthen checks and balances and protect citizens rights said Patricia Moreira Managing Director of Transparency International Corruption chips away at democracy to produce a vicious cycle where corruption undermines democratic institutions and in turn weak institutions are less able to control corruption it notedThe 2018 CPI draws on 13 surveys and expert assessments to measure public sector corruption in 180 countries and territories giving each a score from zero highly corrupt to 100 very cleanMore than twothirds of countries score below 50 with an average score of only 43 Since 2012 only 20 countries have significantly improved their scores including Estonia and Cocircte DIvoire and 16 have significantly declined including Australia Chile and Malta the release saidIt said that the US has dropped four points since last year with a score of 71 This marks the first time since 2011 that the US falls outside of the top 20 countries on the CPIThe CPI measures public sector corruption in 180 countries and territories drawing on 13 expert assessments and surveys of business executives to give each country a score from zero highly corrupt to 100 very cleanCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever