Transparency International is the global civil society organization leading the fight against corruption. It brings people together in a powerful worldwide coalition to end the devastating impact of corruption on men, women and children around the world. TI's mission is to create change towards a world free of corruption.
The organization defines corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain which eventually hurts everyone who depends on the integrity of people in a position of authority. It develops tools for fighting corruption and works with other civil society organizations, companies and governments to implement them. Since 1995, TI has issued an annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI); it also publishes a Global Corruption Report, a Global Corruption Barometer, and a Bribe Payers Index. In the years leading up to 2030, Transparency International is dedicated to leading the global fight against corruption via its strategy: "Holding Power to Account – A Global Strategy Against Corruption 2021–2030". It sets out how the Movement aims to contribute to "a more positive future; a world in which power is held to account, for the common good".
Corruption Perceptions Index
The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. It is a composite index – a combination of polls – drawing on corruption-related data collected by a variety of reputable institutions. The CPI reflects the views of observers from around the world. The Corruption Perceptions Index has been criticized for measuring perception and not reality. The creators of the index argue that "perceptions matter in their own right, since... firms and individuals take actions based on perceptions". TI itself agrees with the CPI having limitations, but claims that the CPI is the best tool available for assessing corruption on a high level.
According to the newspaper Le Monde: "In its main surveys, Transparency International does not measure the weight of corruption in economic terms for each country. It develops a Corruption Perception Index (CPI) based on surveys conducted by private structures or other NGOs: the Economist Intelligence Unit, backed by the British liberal weekly newspaper The Economist, the American neoconservative organization Freedom House, the World Economic Forum, or large corporations. (...) The CPI ignores corruption cases that concern the business world. So, the collapse of Lehman Brothers (2008) or the manipulation of the money market reference rate (Libor) by major British banks revealed in 2011 did not affect the ratings of the United States or United Kingdom." A common counter argument is that it is not plausible to ever measure the true scale and depth of a highly complex issue like corruption with a single number, and then rank countries accordingly.
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International Anti-Corruption Conference
First held in 1983, the International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) is a series of international conferences organized by the IACC Council, in association with local governments and organizations, with TI as its secretariat. The conferences take place every two years in different countries.
Global Anti-Corruption Consortium (GACC)
Since 2016, TI has partnered with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). The partnership enables knowledge and evidence gathered through OCCRP's corruption investigations to inform TI's policy and legal advocacy. The programme is co-funded by three governments, including the US, and private donors.
Defence and Security
Defence and Security is a separate centre of excellence within the global Transparency International Movement, focusing on highlighting corruption in defence and security and strengthening defence integrity in three main areas - Responsible Defence Governance, Conflict & Insecurity and Industry Integrity.
As well as research reports, the Defence and Security centre produces two indices measuring different aspects of defence industry integrity:
The Government Defence Integrity Index first published in 2013 measures corruption in the defence sector of 82 countries. Some governments have expressed criticism towards the methodology of the report. TI defended the report and stressed the importance of transparency in the military sector. The plan was to publish the index every two years.
The Defense Companies Index (on Anti-Corruption and Corporate Transparency) report first published in 2012. A second report was published in 2015 before the methodology was overhauled for third report, published in 2020. It is a research report that assesses the levels of public commitment to anti-corruption and transparency in the corporate policies and procedures of 134 of the world’s largest defence companies.
Other key products
The Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) is a survey that asks citizens about their direct personal experience of corruption in their daily lives.
The Global Corruption Report picks a specific topic like corruption in climate change for example and provides in-depth research.
National integrity system assessments are designed to provide comprehensive analysis on a given country's mechanisms to fight corruption.
The Bribe Payers Index (BPI) first published in 1999 which ranked nations according to the perceived likelihood that a country's multinational corporations would offer bribes. The last edition was released in 2011 after which the project was closed for funding reasons. The Journal of Business Ethics states "Bribery in international business transactions can be seen as a function of not only the demand for such bribes in different countries, but the supply, or willingness to provide bribes by multinational firms and their representatives. This study addresses the propensity of firms from 30 different countries to engage in international bribery".
The Exporting Corruption report first published in 2005. It is a research report that rates the bribery-related performance of leading global exporters, including countries that are signatories of OECD Anti-Bribery Convention.
Sexual corruption
Since 2023, Transparency International has resolved to combat sexual corruption or sextortion, which occurs "when a person abuses their power to obtain sex or acts of a sexual nature in exchange for a service or benefit that is connected to the entrusted authority", and mostly affects women and girls. The issue has, for example, been linked to access to higher education in Rwanda, and to education and policing services in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
