New Zealand rated least corrupt country

New Zealand has been rated the world's least corrupt country for 2009, topping Transparency International's "Corruption Perceptions Index" (CPI) with a squeaky-clean 9.4 out of 10 in the league table of just how corrupt, or otherwise, nations are reckoned to be. Last year's winner Denmark is relegated to second spot, with 9.3 …

[Anonymous Coward]

"perceived"

Based on "the *perceived* level of public-sector corruption in a country/territory".

So they didn't actually measure corruption at all. It's just another stupid opinion poll.

[Pete 2]

NZ least corrupt?

and who did they bribe to get that rating?

[robbo the yobbo]

'Myanmar'

is 'Burma' in English!

[RyokuMas]

@Pete 2...

Never mind who New Zealand bribed - how much did our government bribe them to get as high up as it did?

Beer - because it's probably through the taxes on it that money for said bribe was raised...

[Anonymous Coward]

Commissions, not bribes

I offered the organisers of the survey a couple of quid to go easy on Britain, but never heard back from them.

The Afghan organisers said that wasn't enough, and the Somalis said they were out on their boat.

[Anonymous Coward]

Interesting

Canada is 8th while UK/US are 17th/19th. Time to emigrate. No wait, it gets *really* cold there and you have to learn French (and apparently French Canadians are more French than those in France).

ac - how on earth do you measure "real" corruption. You can only record "detected" corruption and then in a corrupt state the level of detection will be poor. Perceived corruption is the best measure but it should include external surveys (i.e. opinions of other coutries on the measured country - not just in-country opinion) - though there are 6/8 surveys for Canada / UK / US there are no details of the surveys...

[MinionZero]

@based on *perceived* level of public-sector corruption

So its measuring how effective the population is being fooled. That explains why the UK is even at number 17.

So a country with little corruption and the population that could see it all, would score the same as a county with huge corruption where the people were fooled into not seeing most of it. That perfectly explains the UK.

The only way the UK could get into the top 5 of any list, would be on a list of how much time and (our) money they use up, trying to fool us all. :(

[Destroy All Monsters]

I heard Gordon Brown is optimistic...

...that waggling the headmaster's finger at the second-in-league will make him mend his ways.

"You! Yes, you behind the bikesheds, stand still laddy!"

[Evil_Trev]

Surprisingly good result

For France

[Winkypop]

Plucky little Aussie in 8th

I must bung my MP a slab or two of beer!

[Anonymous Coward]

You what?

'perceived as the most corrupt'

I assume that the people doing the perceiving have lived in each of the countries rated, rather than pulling that perception out of their arse based on TV shows and some bloke they spoke to down the pub?

[Jason Togneri]

@ 'Myanmar'

Damn right. Moreso, I don't believe the name 'Myanmar' is officially recognised by the British governmemt, as doing so would lend it an air of de facto legitimacy. A British e-rag like El Reg should know better.

[Martin 6]

"perceived"

The perceive is by a bunch of university economics depts and some management consultancies and risk consultants. So it's based on the opinions that big companies pay for before doing business with a country.

it's only an opinion is like saying that car insurance groups are only an opinion of the insurance companies.

[John Smith 19]

Didn't Gordon get an email from Russia saying they could raise the UK rating

But it'd cost him a bit.

[MinionZero]

I've just done some more digging to find more info on the UK...

Do you reckon they know something we don't?! Looks like our MPs are struggling to contain all their corruption...

UK place over the years:

1998, 11th

1999, 13th

2000, 10th

2001, 13th

2002, 10th

2003, 11th

2004, 11th

2005, 11th

2006, 11th

2007, 12th

2008, 16th

2009, 17th

[Ken 16]

well done Iceland!

...Glad to hear your banking industry wasn't a pyramid scheme after all.

Paris - because some kinds of corruption are fun

[Anonymous Coward]

Iceland...

Just a point of order.

The average Icelander is pretty much as honest as they come, hence the country's high rating. But the dozen or so of them that ran the banks and managed to bankrupt one of the World's richest countries must be in a league of their own.

[Mike Norrish 1]

It's not that our politicians don't TRY to be corrupt...

...Just that they're too stupid to do it without getting caught in the first 24 hours ;)

National NZ: "We're not corrupt...Just stupid"

Paris, 'cos she could run the place better than John Key...

[Stephen 10]

Interestingly

The corruption index corelates rather strongly with the democracy index. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_Index ). Guess it does work after all. To some degree.

[SisterClamp]

SINGAPORE??!!!

Not corrupt???!!! Hold on while I faint in my kopi C here. Just to be clear, Singaporeans don't "perceive" anything that messes with their little group-think "all foreigners are evil and just want to destroy us! Destroy us, I say!" mindset.

[Lorenz Kahl]

Rank amatuers

That's how NZ politicians compare to the UK versions. As Mike Norrish 1 says, they get caught quickly..!!

[Mark 65]

Australia

Is pretty corrupt at most levels with cronyism and fingers in the cookie jar. Queensland state police are perennially at it and state governments are shockingly corrupt. It's just that everyone's been bought off with Rudd's fiscal stimulus package and they think that house prices never go down so they're clearly too deluded to perceive the corruption hence the finishing spot.

[Anonymous Coward]

here is a title

...unless they are the most corrupt in that they will even corrupt a poll to see who is the most corrupt...

...or they are just very good at it...

[elderlybloke]

We are No1 in the "popularity poll"

in New Zealand.

To those of you moaning about it being a popularity poll , a question.

At General Election time who gets to govern the country?