Corruption and accountability in the Pacific Islands

Abstract

The paper investigates the relationship between corruption and accountability in the Pacific Islands, using evidence from surveys of 'national integrity systems' in 14 states. It identifies and assesses four international initiatives to improve accountability and reduce corruption: public sector reform; peer review of accountability systems; cleaning up offshore financial centres, and the intervention of Australian officials on the ground. The paper finds that the relationship between increased accountability and reduced corruption is not straightforward. Moves to improve financial accountability may increase the chances of corruption being detected, but greater political accountability may increase the incidence, or suspicion, of corruption. Comparison between the 14 suggests that accountability and levels of corruption vary independently of each other.