Corruption in the Middle East

More than red tape

Dec 8th 2013, 18:52 by S.B. | MANAMA

The Economist

THE latest Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International, a lobby, does not make happy reading for those in the Middle East. Five Arab countries come among the bottom ten countries for corruption: Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Iraq and Syria. The highest ranking of the 177 states included in the study is the UAE at 26. Qatar comes two places further down. Israel fares slightly worse in 36th position. The other Gulf countries do best among the remaining Arab states: Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia follow the UAE and Qatar. Egypt. which desperately needs to kick start its economy after almost three years of turmoil, comes in at a lousy 114 (joint with Indonesia).

The ranking is based on a survey of perceptions among experts, politicians and business people. Syria and Libya have both fallen a long way in recent years, perhaps unsurprisingly given the turmoil in both countries. But Oman and Jordan have also dropped lower down the index, for less obvious reasons. Algeria, one of the countries that didn't see political change in 2011, is seen as less corrupt than it used to be. The West Bank and Gaza are not included.

Corruption is one of the most frequent complaints among those in the Middle East. Tunisians, Egyptians, Libyans, Syrians and Yemenis who ousted or are in the process of trying to oust their president all mention this as one of the reasons for revolting. They complain that simple bureaucratic procedures require a bribe. They say many jobs and opportunities, especially in the public sector, are based on connections and nepotism.

It is interesting to read the Corruption Perceptions Index in tandem with the Global Corruption Barometer, another Transparency International survey. This sheds light on which institutions the public in each of 107 countries views as most corrupt in their country. This year, Libyans worry most about their public officials and civil servants. Egyptians doubt their media and police; the latter is also a concern of those in Morocco. Yemenis, Iraqis, Israelis and Tunisians are all most wary of their political parties. The Sudanese see religious institutions as the most corrupt bodies in their country. Algerians mistrust their judiciary and business community. Interestingly, none of the populations in the 107 countries surveyed believes the military is the institution most affected by corruption.