Global Corruption Report 2004: Special Focus: Political Corruption

'The Global Corruption Report is the first attempt by any organisation to map the global fight against corruption. A kind of travel-guide to the jungle of various standards and practices in different world regions.' Guardian

With a focus on political corruption, the 2004 edition of Transparency International's Global Corruption Report (GCR) identifies some of today's most pressing issues in the fight against corruption around the world.

Besides launching Transparency International's new Standards on Political Finance and Favours, the GCR 2004 also features a league table of the world's top 10 embezzlers, a key to the best and worst laws regulating politics, and an assessment of recent developments in immunity from prosecution.

Essays examine the role of money in politics - assessing the regulation of political party financing, suggesting ways to 'rewire' the arms and oil trades for greater transparency and analysing the problem of vote buying. Reports consider attempts to repatriate assets stolen by politicians, disclosure regulations, the nexus between the media, politics and business as well as the issue of immunity from prosecution - with special insight into extradition efforts in the Fujimori case in Peru.

The GCR's global and regional reports explore recent developments such as the African Union Convention against Corruption, the EU accession process and the UN Convention against Corruption. Thirty-four country reports provide a critical assessment of new national anti-corruption legislation, institutional reform and the most important corruption-related issues of the last 12 months.

This year's GCR also features special contributions by Jimmy Carter and former UN human rights commissioner Mary Robinson, who argues that 'corruption hits hardest at the poorest in society'. Their messages are reinforced by that of Gherardo Colombo, whose efforts to prosecute Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi for bribery have drawn substantial media attention.

Rounding out the report, a data and research section presents Transparency International's own Corruption Perceptions Index as well as other recent empirical research, including links between corruption, gender and poverty.