YuxinChen

6Feberary2017
G/TIndependentReseach

AnnotatedSourceList

Banisar,David.F
reedomofInformationandAccesstoGovernmentRecordsaroundtheWorld.
PrivacyInternational,July2002.Accessed8Jan.2017.
TheoverviewofthisreportrevealsthedevelopmentofFreedomofInformationAct
throughouttheyears.ItdescribeshoweventhoughFOIAwasfirstpassedinSwedenin1776,
therewasntanunprecedentednumberofimplementationuntilthelast10years.Thepaper
explainshowthisisduetothefallofauthoritarianismandthedevelopmentofdemocraciesin
1980s.Thisencouragedcountriestoadoptorreviseconstitutionsthatincludestherightsto
accessinformation.Inaddition,inthelast10years,therehasbeenanimmenseamountof
pressurefromorganizationssuchasCouncilofEurope,theWorldBankandothermediaand
civilsocietygroupsforgreateraccesstogovernmentalinformation.However,informationact
doesnotalwaysguaranteetheaccesstoinformation.Inmanycountries,thegovernmentcanresist
bydelayingtherequestforinformationorimposelargesumsoffeestodiscouragetheaccessto
information.Surprisingly,evenindevelopedanddemocraticcountriessuchastheUnitedStates
andCanada,therehasbeenanincreasingamountofrestrictionontheavailabilityofinformation.
Throughthisreport,itislearnedthatalthoughtherehasbeenanimmensenumberof
countrieswhohadorareintheprocessofimplementingtheFreedomofInformationAct,the
accesstoinformationcontinuebeingaproblem.ThisisusefulindemonstratinghowFOIAitself
isnotenoughinguaranteeingtheaccesstoinformation.

ChiyeungIp,Eric.JudicialCorruptionandItsThreatstoNationalGovernanceinChina.
JournalofAdministration&Governance,vol.3,no.1,July2008,pp.8089,
citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.605.1104&rep=rep1&type=pdf.
Accessed19Sept.2016.

ChiyeungIp'sjournalprovidesadescriptionofthejudicialcorruptionthatisthreatening
thegovernanceinthePeople'sRepublicofChina.Thestudydiscussestheseverityofthe
problem:between2003and2004,about470judgeswereprosecutedforcourtcorruption.The
researchersuggeststhatthereasonforthiscrisisisduetoembezzlementandbribery.Judges
oftenusepersonalrelationships,monetary,andnonmonetarygifts.Thejournaldescribesa
systemwherethepublicslowlylosestrustinthelawastheresultofthejudiciarycorruption.To
combattheproblem,itisproposedthatthegovernmentshouldincreasejudicialpaystodecrease
thetemptationofjudgestotakebribes.Also,theauthorsuggeststhatmoreeducationandtraining
istobeperformedtoeducatethejudgesonetiquetteandprofessionalisminordertoeliminateor
lessenthenumberofjudicialcorruptioninthefuture.
Thisjournalwasusefulasitsummarizestheproblem,reason,impact,andthesolutionto
thejudiciarycorruptionprobleminthePeople'sRepublicofChina.Theutilizationofdataallows
theaudiencetounderstandhowseveretheproblemactuallyis.Althoughthegovernancesection
doesnotrelatetothestudyofcausesofcorruption,itstillprovidesabackgroundinformation.
ThisjournalprovidedageneralintroductiontothestudyofjudiciarycorruptioninthePeople's
RepublicofChina.

"Corruption."EuropeanCommission:MigrationandHomeAffairs,EuropeanUnion,2Feb.
2016,ec.europa.eu/dgs/homeaffairs/whatwedo/policies/organizedcrimeandhuman
trafficking/corruption/index_en.htm.Accessed24Oct.2016.

ThewebpagedescribescorruptionintheEuropeanUnion(EU),alongwithwhatthe
EuropeanCommissionisimplementinginordertocombatwiththecorruption.Corruptionhurts
theEUasawholeasitlowersacountrysproductivityanddisruptsthefairoperationofthe
internalmarketitestimatedthat120billioneurosarelostperyearduetocorruption.Thesite
revealsthatabout75%ofEUcitizensthinkscorruptionisanextensiveproblem.Toreduce
corruption,theEUcommissionactonanticorruptionpoliciesthecommissionimplementedthe
StockholmProgramtoreducecorruptionandformreformatorypolicieswiththeCouncilof
EuropeGroupofStatesagainstCorruption(GRECO).Inaddition,thecommissionerhas
installedperiodicassessmentstomonitorperformancesofthestate's,motivateanticorruption
effortsandexchangepractices.ManylawsofEUandinternationallevelhasbeenpassedto
reducecorruption.Forexample,the2003councilframeworkdecisionthatcriminalizesboth
activeandpassivebribery.ThecommissionwishescontinuestoshapeEUpolicy,andcooperate
withEuropol,EurojustandCEPOLtocombatcorruption.
Inthiswebpage,itdiscussesthedifferentapproachestheEuropeanUnionistakingto
fightcorruption.Thedocumentsattachedtothewebpagehelpsthereadertofindprimarysource
documentsandretrievebackgroundinformation.Thissitewouldbeusefulforsomeonewhois
lookingforEUsstrategyagainstcorruption.

"CorruptionIsPublicEnemyNumberOneinDevelopingCountries,SaysWorldBankGroup
PresidentKim."WorldBankGroup,19Dec.2013,www.worldbank.org/en/news/
pressrelease/2013/12/19/corruptiondevelopingcountriesworldbankgroup
presidentkim.Accessed30Nov.2016.

ThearticlediscussestheWorkBankgroupsopinionregardingcorruptionindeveloping
countriesaswellastheirplanstoattackthisproblem.JimYongKim,thepresidentoftheWord
BankGroup,describescorruptionastheworstenemyofthepeopleofdevelopingcountries
whenanauthorityoracorporationtakesinbribes,itslowsdownthecountry'sabilitytoend
povertyanddevelopment.Tofightcorruption,Kimproposedanapproachwiththreekeyfactors:
greaterintegritywithininstitutions,informedcitizenstoincreasetheaccountabilityofofficials,
andaglobalmovement.TheWorldBankhadpreviousintervenedwithmultipleorganizationsand
havehadaprofoundimpactonfightingagainstcorruptionforinstance,theWorldBank
prevented$6milliondollarsfrombeingmisusedinapowerprojectforsouthernAfrican
countries.Inaddition,theWorldBankgivesoutIntegrityAwardstohonorthosewhostandup
tocorruptionandtopromoteamovementagainstcorruption.
ThissourceisusefulbecauseitprovidesadescriptionofthestepstheWorldBankis
takingtocombatcorruption.Althoughthearticledoesnotdescribetheimpactofcorruptionin
developingcountriesindetail,itdoesgivesareaderanunderstandingofhowitisanimportant
issueforthesecountries.ThissitewouldbehelpfulinaddressingtheWorldBanksopinionon
corruptionandwhyasolutionisneeded.

"CorruptionPerceptionsIndex2015."TransporarencyInternational,2015www.transparency.
org/cpi2015/#downloads.Accessed28Oct.2016.

ThecorruptionPerceptionsindex2015depictsthecorruptionlevelallaroundtheworld.
Fromthediagramgiven,onecannoticethattheregionswiththeleastamountofcorruptionis
EasternEuropeandNorthernAmericawhileformerSovietcountriesandpartsofAfricahas
severalcorruptionproblems.Inaddition,thewebsitediscussesthelevelofimprovementor
worseningofacountryscorruptionlevel.WhileGreece,Senegal,andUKhavebeendecreasing
theircorruptionlevelconsistentlyforthepast3years,Australia,Brazil,Libya,SpainandTurkey
havedeteriorated.Itisrevealedthatthemorecorruptacountryis,themorelikelyitisforthe
countrytobefilledwithviolenceandsuffering.Angola,forexample,isoneofthemost
corruptedcountry,hasoneoutofsixchildrendiebeforetheyreachtheageof5.Thewebsitealso
analyzesandcomparesthecorruptionlevelbyregions,providingexplanationsforthelackof
improvementandwhatthegovernmentcandotohelp.
Thiswebpageprovidesadetailedanalysisofthecorruptionindexaroundtheworld.The
chartsanddiagramsprovidedhelpstheaudiencetogetavisualunderstandingoftheproblemthe
differentshadesofredorangeinthediagramshowsthecontrastbetweenacorruptedcountry,
semicorruptedcountry,andalmostfreeofcorruptioncountry.Thisresearchwouldsupportthe
ideathattheEuropeanUnioncountriesarelesscorruptedcomparetotherestoftheword.

Ellyatt,Holly."TheseAreMostCorruptCountriesintheWorld."C NBC,26Jan.2016,
www.cnbc.com/2016/01/27/thesearemostcorruptcountriesintheworld.html.
Accessed14Nov.2016.

ThisarticlediscussestheCorruptionPerceptionIndexanddescribesthecharacteristicsof
thecountrieswherethecorruptionisuncommonandwhereitisprevalent.Thearticlerevealsthat
accordingtotheIndexin2015,mostofthecountrieshadaninclineintheircorruptionlevel.A
highscoreindicatesanopengovernmentwhereeveryonecanbeaccountablefortheiractions.A
lowscoresuggeststhecommonnessofbriberyandlackofacceptabilityandresponse.Countries
thatwererankedatthebottomoftheindexwereNorthKoreaandSomaliawiththescoreofeight.
Bothcountriesexperienceinsufficientgovernance,weakpoliceandjudiciaryinstitution,andlack
offreedomofthepress.Ontheothersideofthespectrum,EuropeancountrieslikeDenmark,
FinlandandSwedendominatedthetopoftheindex.Thecharacteristicsofthesecountriesinclude
pressfreedom,transparencies,excellentintegritysystem,andjudiciaryindependence.Theauthor
revealsthatlastyearmorethanever,thepeopleprotestedfortheirrightsandthelevelof
protectionintheircountries.Thepeoplearetakingtheinitiativetoshowtheirdiscontentwiththe
politicalsystemandobjecttothecorruptedsociety.
Thearticletalksaboutthecharacteristicsofcorruptedandslightercorruptedcountries.
Theorganizationofthewebsitesmakesthereadingeasytofollowandunderstand.Thissource
wouldbeusefulindefiningwhatacountrycandotoreducecorruptionitprovidesthereasons
forthelackofcorruptionforcountriesthatreceivedahigherscore.

Frdigh,MathiasA."PressFreedomandCorruption:OneoftheMassMediaFunctionsin
PromotingQualityofGovernment."QualityofGovernmentInstituteworkingconference,
23Oct.2007,Nice,mafardigh.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/press_
freedom_and_corruption.pdf.Accessed22Nov.2016.

Thisstudydefinesfreepresswhileexplainingtheeffectsoffreepressontheprevalence
ofcorruption.Theauthordefinesfreepressastherighttopublish,report,andshareopinions,
ideasorinformationwithouttherestrictionofthegovernment.Itisnotedthatnocountry
possessesabsolutefreepressaseventhosecountriesthatpromotefreedomofmediarestrict
obscenity,libel,andinvasionofprivacy.Researchhasshownthatacountrythatpermitsfreedom
ofpressislesscorruptthanacountrythatlimitsandcontrolspress.Mediasroleasa
watchdogadvocatefortransparencyandaccountabilitiesbykeepingthepeopleinformedabout
abuseofpowerandmisconductswithinthesociety.Inacountrywherethegovernment
manipulatesandcensorsthepress,wrongdoingsareoftenhiddenfromthepeopletoavoid
accountability.Astheresult,corruptionsprevailbecausethepublicsareunacknowledgedabout
whatisgoingonwithinthegovernmentandmisconductsgounpunished.Therefore,itis
concludedthatfreepressdirectlyaffectsthepervasivenessofcorruptioninacountry.
Thisresearchisimportantinacknowledginghowtheleveloffreepressdictatesthe
degreeofcorruptioninacountry.Thereferencethatisincludedisusefulasitprovidesadditional
sourcesthatincludesmoreinformationaboutthetopic.Thisstudywouldbeusefulinexplaining
howacountrycanreduceitscorruptionratebyallowingfreepress.


Gloppen,Siri."Courts,CorruptionandJudicialIndependence."Corruption,Grabbingand
DevelopmentRealWorldChallenges,editedbyTinaSreideandAledWilliams,Edward
ElgardPublishing,2014,pp.6879.G oogleBooks,books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=
&id=cS1jAgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA68&dq=related.Accessed25Sept.2016.

Thissectionofthebook,Corruption,GrabbingandDevelopmentRealWorldChallenges,
describesthedifferenttypesofjudicialcorruptionwithitsconsequences,andthecommon
approachesmadetoreducecorruption.Theauthordiscussesthetwodifferenttypesofjudicial
corruptions:briberyandpoliticalinfluence.Briberygivesthosewhoareprivilegedanadvantage
astheycanpaytheirwaythroughsystem.Thisincreasesclassbias,destroysthepeoplestrustin
court,andrestrictsajudgesimpartiality.Politicalinfluenceincourtallowsofficialstohave
specialprivilegesandallowsthemtoescapetheprosecutionofthelaw.Thistypeofcorruption
istheresultofappointmentandtenure,andfinancialregulationofajudge.Ajudgeislikelyto
ruleinfavorofapowerholderbecausetheyhavecontroloverwhogetsreappointedandwhogets
morepays.Toaddressjudicialcorruption,theauthorsuggeststhatthegovernmentshould
increasepaystolessenthetemptationtoacceptbribery,strengthentransparency,enlargejudicial
independence,andestablishadisciplinarysystemthatpunishescorruptjudges.
Thistextwasusefulasitpresentstheproblemandthesolutionfortheexistingjudicial
corruptionproblem.Itprovidesaclearexplanationtothecausesofjudiciaryfraudbyidentifying
thetwowaysajudgecouldbecorrupted.Theinformationinthistextwouldaidthestudyof
causesandsolutiontojudiciarycorruption.

Green,PeterS.,andJohnMazor."CorruptJustice:WhatHappensWhenJudges'BiasTaintsa
Case?"TheGuardian,GuardianNewsandMedia,18Oct.2015,www.theguardian.com/
usnews/2015/oct/18/judgebiascorruptscourtcases.Accessed25Sept.2016.

Inthisarticle,itexplainstheeffectsofjudicialcorruptionthroughtheuseofMargaret
Benson'sdivorcecase.Bensonfiledadivorcefromherhusband,apoliticallyconnectedattorney,
intheMarchof2010.Sheexperiencedseveralunjustrulingsfromthecasesjudge.Forinstance,
Margaretlostthecustodyofherchildrenshewasforcedtopayforchildsupportwhenher
husbandmakes$528,000ayear.WhenMargaretdiscoveredandreportedtheconnectionbetween
herhusbandandthejudge,nothinghappened.Itwasfoundthat90%ofthecomplaintsmadeon
judgesareignoredwhenaninvestigationisdone,morethanhalfofthetime,wrongdoingwas
found.Evenwhenwrongdoingisfound,theconsequenceisneversuspensionorremoval.The
corruptionisnotonlyonthelocallevel,thesupremecourtalsosuffersfromimpartiality.The
supremecourtjusticesareexemptfromthefederalcodeofconduct,therefore,impartialityis
ignored.Tofixthisproblem,thearticlesuggestsmoretransparencywithinthesystemandtohold
judgesaccountablefortheiractions.
Thisarticlewasusefulasitprovidesafurtherunderstandingofhowjudicialcorruption
affectsthesocietyandthelifeofaperson.Throughtheuseofreallifecasesanddata,theauthors
areabletoexplainandvalidatetheirpoints.Theinformationwillbeusefulinexplaininglackof
prosecutionofcorruptjudgesandtheseverityoftheproblem.

Hors,Irne."FightingCorruptionintheDevelopingCountries."OECDObserver,
OECD,Apr.2000,oecdobserver.org/news/archivestory.php/aid/291/Fighting_corruption_in_the_
developing_countries.html.Accessed9Dec.2016.

Thisarticlediscusseshowinsomedevelopingcountries,thepeoplethinkcorruptionis
integralpartoftheirculture.Corruptionfeedsoffundevelopedcountrieslowwagesresultsin
pettycorruptionwhileuneducatedcitizensarekeptignorant.Toremediatethesituation,greater
transparency,accountability,andmeritbasedjobsareencouraged.Manyofthedeveloping
countrieswanttotakethisinitiativetocombatagainstcorruptions,however,theyfacetwo
obstacles:economicandpolitical.Ittakesalargeamountofmoneytoorganizeinstitutionsto
policecorruptionandthesedevelopingcountriesjustdon'thavethefundingtodoso.Inaddition,
mostofthepoliticiansarecorruptedwhichmeansthatitisunlikelytheywilldraftpolicies
againstcorruptionthepoliticiansfearthattakingastandagainstcorruptionwouldriskstheir
successandwealth.Theauthorencouragesmediatoeducateitscitizensaboutwhatisgoingon
withinthegovernmentinordertopressurethepoliticianstobelesscorrupt.Thecitizensalso
needtotakeactiontheycannotbefearfulofcorruptofficials.Citizensneedtostayinformed
abouttheirgovernmentandtakeactionswhennecessary.
Thiswebsitediscussesthecauseandsolutionstocorruptionindevelopingcountries.
Althoughthisarticledoesnotdiscussorgiveexamplesofexistingeffortsbydeveloping
countriestoreducecorruption,itisusefulasitdescribescorruptioninundevelopedplacesand
howitcanbechanged.

"HowDoesGRECOWork?"G roupofStatesagainstCorruption(GRECO),CouncilofEurope,
www.coe.int/t/dghl/monitoring/greco/general/4.%20How%20does%20GRECO%
20work_en.asp.Accessed28Oct.2016.

ThewebpagediscussestheproceduretheGroupofStatesAgainstCorruption(GRECO)
hasforthemembersoftheEuropeanUnion(EU).ThepagerevealsthatbeingintheEU,the
statesaresubjectedtomonitoringandevaluation.GRECOsmonitorsinacyclewhichconsists
ofthreedifferentsteps:evaluation,horizontalevaluation,andcompliance.Theorganizationhas
performedmultipleevaluationsinceitwasfirstfoundedin1999,eachcoveringadifferent
aspectsofcorruption.Aftertheevaluationisperformed,GRECOSappointsagroupofexperts
whocommunicatewiththecountrysofficialsandthepeopletogetanunderstandingofthe
problemduringthehorizontalevaluation.Thegroupthendraftrecommendationswhichrequire
actionwithin18monthsorobservationswhichneedtakenintoaccountof.After18months,if
thoserecommendationshavenotbeencompletelyimplemented,GRECOwillreexamineafter
another18months.Ifthemembersdonotcomplywiththesuggestions18monthslater,the
RulesofProcedureofGRECOforeseesaspecialproceduretoenforceonthem.
ThiswebsitedescribeswhattheGroupofStatesAgainstCorruptiondotomonitor
corruptionsbyusingspecificterminologyanddetails.Theexplanationsofeachoftheprocess
helpsthereadergrasptheconceptclearlyandindepth.Thiswouldbeagoodstartingpointfor
someonewhowantstoresearchaboutcorruptionreformsintheEU.

"Introduction."TheSupremePeople'sCourtofthePeople'sRepublicofChina,ChinaDaily,16
July2015,english.court.gov.cn/201507/16/content_21299713.htm.Accessed20Sept.
2016.

ThiswebpageprovidesanoutlineofthejudiciarysysteminChina.Thehighestcourtin
ChinaistheSupremePeoplesCourt,alsoknownasSPC.Theytrialcasesthatareeitherplaced
toSPCbylaworwithinitsjurisdiction.AstheyarethehighestcourtinChina,theysupervise
thelowercourtsandexplaintheapplicationsoflaws.Italsoexplainstheprinciplesthatare
valuedandfollowedbytheSPC,includingequality,opentrails,rightsofaccuser,trialwithpanel
ofjudges,removalofabiasedjudge,andtrialsfreefromotherinfluences.Thesiterevealsthat
theNationalPeoplesCongresshaspowerovertheSupremePeoplesCourtastheyhavethe
abilitytoappointandremovecourtmembers.Thesourcealsodescribestheorganizationofthe
courtsinChina.Chinahastwodifferenttypesofcourt:peoplescourtandspecialcourt.The
specialcourtsarearrangedforspecificorganizations,suchasthemilitary,maritime,railway
transportation,andforestry.
ThewebsitehighlightstheimportantaspectsoftheSupremePeoplesCourtanddescribes
thestructureswithinthecourt.Thissourcewasusefulasitprovidesbasicbackground
informationsregardingthejudiciarysysteminChinainwhichwouldhelpincomparingthe
ChinesesystemtoAmericans.ThebreakdownofeachlevelswithintheSPChelpsthereaderto
furtherunderstandthecomplexityofthejudicialbranchofPeoplesRepublicofChina.

"JudicialIndependenceinthePRC."C ongressionalExecutiveCommissiononChina,www.cecc.
gov/judicialindependenceintheprc.Accessed29Sept.2016.

 ThiswebpagediscussesthecausesforthelackofjudicialindependenceinChina
andwhatthegovernmentisdoingtoincreaseit.TheChinesecourtsystemlackjudicial
independencebecauseoftheinternalandexternalcontrols.Theinternalcontrolcomesfromthe
courtadjudicatedcommitteeastheyhavethepermissiontoreviewandapprovecaseresults.The
externalcontrolcomesfromthelocalgovernmentsastheyhavethecontroloverajudgessalary
andcourtfinance.ThewebsiterevealsthattheChinesesideaofjudicialindependencedoesnot
includetheindependenceofeachindividualjudgeinstead,thejudgesareexpectedtofollowthe
leadershipoftheCommunistParty.Recently,theleadersinthegovernmenthavebeenaccepting
theideaofmorejudicialindependence.Theywanttodecreasetheinfluenceoflocalgovernment,
controlsalaryandcourtfinances,andtransferthepowertoappointjudgestolowergovernments.
However,theseideasarehardtoimplementasitrequireconstitutionalchangesandpeoplewho
possessespowerareunliketoletgooftheirpower.
Thiswebsitewillbeusefulinidentifyingthereasonforthelackofjudicialindependence
inChina.Ittalksaboutthegovernmentinterventionintryingtofixtheproblemandthepotential
challengesthattheywouldlikelyface.Thesourceisdetailedandspecificsitprovidesdifferent
aspectsoftheprobleminaconsistentmanner.

Lavers,Tom."TheGlobalCorruptionBarometer2006."GlobalCorruptionReport2007:
CorruptioninJudicialSystems,CambridgeUP,2007,pp.31417.I ssuu,CambridgeUP,
issuu.com/transparencyinternational/docs/global_corruption_report_2007_english?backgro
undColor=.Accessed13Oct.2016.

Inthisreport,theprevalenceofcorruptionaroundtheworldandthepublicopinionson
theefficiencyofgovernmentinfightingcorruptionisevaluatedandcompared.Thereportreveals
thatbetweenthedifferentsectorsofthesociety,17%ofpoliceacceptedbribery,makingitthe
mostcorruptedpartofthesociety.Legalsystemandjudiciaryplacedthirdwith8%.Between
differentregionsaroundtheworld,Africahasthehighestamountcorruptionwithofthe
populationpayingbribes.LatinAmericaandnewlyindependentfollowingwithmorethanof
thepopulationpayingbribes.Ontheothersideofthespectrum,theEuropeanUnionandNorth
Americahavelessthanfourpercentofitspopulationusingbribery.Thepublicopinionon
corruptionreform,howeverdoesnotreflecttheamountofcorruptioninoneregion.Forexample,
theEUandNorthAmerica,theleastcorruptedregions,havethehighestpercentageofthe
populationthatbelievethegovernmentisnoteffectiveinitsanticorruptionreforms.However,
populationofthemostcorruptedregion,believethatthegovernmentiseffectiveinitswayof
fightingagainstcorruption.ApossibleexplanationforthisisthatthelackofcorruptioninEU
andNorthAmericaresultsinlackofgovernmentaleffortandreforms.
Thissourceprovidesstatisticsontheamountofcorruptionaroundtheworldandthe
publicsperceptionofthegovernmentseffortinanticorruptionreforms.Thechartsitprovides
helpsthereadercomprehendthedramaticdifferenceintheamountofcorruptionintheEU
comparedtoAfrica.Thisreportwouldbeusefulforsomeonewhoissearchingfordataonthe
corruptionlevelaroundtheworld.

Marschall,Miklos."World:NGOReportTargetsJudicialCorruption."InterviewbyJeffrey
Donovan.RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty,RFE/RL,24May2007,
www.rferl.org/a/1076681.html.Accessed12Oct.2016.

TheinterviewdiscusseswhatTransparencyInternationalhasfoundintheir2007reporton
judicialcorruption.Theintervieweerevealsthethreeconcernswithinthejusticesystemaround
theworld:corruptiondisruptssociety,poorpeoplearesuffering,andthelackoftransparencyand
independencewithinthejudicialbranch.Corruptioncausesanexcessamountofmistrustinthe
justicesystem.Thisresultsinpeoplewantingtoresolvetheirissuesoutsideofthelegalsystem,
decreasingthecourtsauthority.TheinterviewalsorevealsthatthecentralAsiaregionismore
corruptedduetothembeingformercommunistcountries.Theirjudicialsystemsareweakasthey
lackindependenceandaremoresusceptibletocorruption.Inmostofthosecountries,judicial
appointmentsaremadebytheexecutive,resultinginpoliticallyinfluencedandincompetent
judges.Theinterviewalsodescribesthetwotypesofjudiciarycorruption:undueinfluenceand
pettycorruption.Undueinfluenceisthehiddenpowerpoliticiansandbusinesseshasonthecourt.
Pettycorruptiontheuseofbriberyforpersonalbenefits.Inaddition,theintervieweediscusses
thejudicialsituationincountriessuchasGeorgia,RussiaandRomaniatheyareallpushingfor
reformsbutonlyonecountrytrulyexceeded.
Thisinterviewishelpfulasitdiscussestheproblemsofacorruptedjusticesystemand
includesspecificexamplesfromcountriestodiscusstherealityofjudicialreforms,alongwith
thedifficultiesalotofthecountryface.Thissourcewouldbeusefulforsomeonewhoislooking
forinformationonthetechnicalityofjudiciarycorruption.

MungiuPippid,Alina.C ontextualChoicesinFightingCorruption:LessonsLearned.Norad,
Apr.2011,www.norad.no/globalassets/import216201580434am/www.norad.nony/
filarkiv/vedleggtilpublikasjoner/contextualchoicesinfightingcorruptionlessonslearne
d.pdf.Accessed4Jan.2017.
ThissectionofthereportanalysestheeffectsandtheeffectivenessoftheFreedomof
InformationActs(FOIA)asananticorruptiontool.Itstatesthattheempiricalresultsonthe
subjectaremixedsomeargumentsstatethatgreatertransparencycouldrevealinformationon
whocanbebribedwhileotherargumentsarguethatgreatertransparencyleadstolowercorruption
rates.Ingeneral,theFOIAdeterminestheamountofinformationisavailabletothepublicand
howonecanobtainsuchinformation.Increasingamountofinternationalorganizations,treaties,
agreementandactionplanshaveencouragedtheadaptationofFOIAasitiscommonlybelieved
thateverypersondeservethefreedomofspeechandtheaccesstoinformation.Astheresultof
theseefforts,thenumberofcountriesimplementingsomeformoftheFOIAhasmorethan
doubled.Throughtheresearchconducted,theresultsshowthatFOIAdoeshaveapositiveeffect
onthecorruptionscoreofacountry.AfterFOIAisimplemented,thereisageneraltrendof
loweringofpotentialrisksforcorruption.
Thisreportisusefulasitrevealsthedifferentstudiesthathavebeenconductedregarding
theeffectivenessofFOIAondecreasingcorruption.Thegraphpresentedinthereportsshowsthe
contrastingscoresbetweenbeforeimplementationofFOIAandafterimplementationitgivesthe
readeradeeperunderstandingofhoweffectivethisisasatool.Throughthisstudy,further
researchcanbedonewiththecomponentsoftheFOIA.

Nogara,Monica."RoleofMediainCurbingCorruption:TheCaseofUgandaunderPresident
YoweriK.MuseveniduringthenopartySystem."D ESAWorkingPaper,Jan.2009,
pp.26,www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2009/wp72_2009.pdf.Accessed18Dec.2016.

Thisresearchpaperdiscussestheeffectsoffreemediaoncorruption.TheMedia
monitorsandinvestigatespublicofficials,preventingthemfromabusingtheirpowersand
corruption.Themediaoffertwotypesofeffectsoncorruption:tangibleandintangible.Tangible
effectsarethedirectresultsofmediapublishings.Thesepublicationsexposescorruptbehaviors
andincreasetheaccountabilityofofficialswhileencouragingpublichostilitytowardscorruption.
Astheresult,itforceselectoraltomakereformpoliciesandtherefore,decreasingthelikely
chanceofcorruptionhappening.Comparetotangibleeffects,therearemoreintangibleeffectsof
mediareporting.Intangibleeffectsaretheindirectresultsofmediapublication.Theintangible
effectsofmediaactsasanindirectcheckoncorruption.Bypresentingdifferentviews,themedia
encouragescompetitionanddebatesbetweenelectedofficialswhilecreatingincentivesfor
reformativepoliciesandenhancementofcivilliberties.
Thisreadingwashelpfulinidentifyingtheeffectsoffreemediaonlimitingcorruption.
Theexamplesandthedetailedexplanationtheygavetoexplainthetangibleandintangibleeffects
wasbeneficialinaidingthereaderunderstandthedifferencesbetweenthem.Althoughthepaper
doesnotdiscussiffreemediawouldbeapplicableinreducingcorruptionindevelopingcountries,
itstillprovidesapossiblesolutiontotheproblem.

Nogara,Monica."RoleofMediainCurbingCorruption:TheCaseofUgandaunderPresident
YoweriK.MuseveniduringthenopartySystem."D ESAWorkingPaper,Jan.2009,
pp.68,www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2009/wp72_2009.pdf.Accessed18Dec.2016.

Thisresearchpaperrevealsfactorsthatallowsthemediatofightagainstcorruptionand
howthesefactorscanberestricted.Firstly,thefreedomofexpressioniscrucialforthemediato
conductresearchandreportmisconducts.Thegovernmentcanoftentakeawaythefreedomof
expressionbyabusingtheseditionorlibellaw,controloverlicensing,orplacingfinancial
pressure.Theaccesstoinformationallowsthemediatoactasanintermediatethatcollectsand
presentstheinformationtothepublic.However,thegovernmentcanoftenlimitthemedia's
accesstoinformationthroughtheabuseofOfficialSecretActs,restrictingtheinformation
availabletothepublic.Privateownershipisanotherimportantfactorinthemediasabilityto
fightcorruption.Thegovernmentownershipofmediaoftenprovidesabiasedandrestrictedflow
ofinformationontheotherhand,competitionswithinprivateownedmediaresultsagreater
determinationtoexposescandalsandcorruptions,increasingthetransparencywithinthe
government.However,duetothefactthatgovernmentownedmediaismorepopular,thecitizens
dontoftenreceivefactualinformationfromtheprivateownedmedia.
Thisreadingwasusefulasitpresentsthatideathatjustfreemediaitselfifnotsufficient
tobattlecorruptionthemediamusthavespecificcharacteristicsthatwillallowittoexpose
scandalsandbeeffectiveatlimitingcorruption.Thewaythepaperincorporatesexamplesthe
effectsofthesecharacteristicsinAfricancountrieshelpsthereadergrasptheinformation.

"OverviewofCorruptionintheMediainDevelopingCountries."U4ExpertAnswer,vol.368,
pp.56,www.u4.no/publications/overviewofcorruptioninthemediaindeveloping
countries/.Accessed19Dec.2016.
Thissectionofthispaperdiscussesthetypesofcorruptioninthemediathatcanoccur
throughbribery,gifts,advertisementandnepotism.Mediacorruptionisagreaterproblemin
developingcountriessincethesalariesareoftenlow,journalistsaretemptedtoembracethe
opportunityofcorruption.Briberyisthemostcommontypeofcorruptionitiswhenjournalists,
reporter,oranymediapersonnelsthatacceptbriberytopreventthepublishingofadamaging
news,topublishfavorablestories,ortoreportfalseinformation.Thisaffectsthemediasability
tofightcorruptionanddecreaseaccountabilitiesasbriberyresultsinthenewsthatareinaccurate
andbiased.Anotherwaymediacanbeinfluencedisbyadvertisement.Advertisementisapractice
oftencalledthecashforcomment,whenthemediaispaidtoadvertiseacertainproductor
issuestogainsupport.Thisagaindamagesthepurposeofthemedia,whichistogiveunbiased
factstotheiraudience.Thegovernmentcanalsocorruptthemediasystemthroughtheuseof
nepotismbyappointingfamilymembersintopositionsthiswouldsecurepositivecoveragefor
theonewhoappointedthesepeople.
Theinformationwasusefulasitpresentedthedifferentwaysthemediaitselfcanbe
corrupted.Ittalksabouthowalthoughmediarestrictthepresenceofcorruption,itcanbecome
corruptedandthereforebecomingpartoftheproblem.Itcanbeconcludedthatmediaitselfisnot
enoughtocombatcorruptionastheyarejustassusceptibletocorruptionaspowerholders.

"OverviewofCorruptionintheMediainDevelopingCountries."U4ExpertAnswer,vol.368,
pp.67,www.u4.no/publications/overviewofcorruptioninthemediaindeveloping
countries/.Accessed20Dec.2016.
Thissectionofthispaperrevealshowcorruptioninthemediacanbecombated.Thefirst
waythiscanbedoneisbyraisingawarenessofethicalstandardsthroughtheimplementationof
technicalandethicaltraining.Thisforcesthejournaliststorecognizethefactthattheirjobisto
exposecorruptionandinformedthepublic'sinsteadofbeingapartoftheproblem.Thetraining
wouldalsoincludetheindoctrinatingofthecountrysmediapoliciesandlaw,allowingjournalist
tocorrectlyexercisetheirrightswithoutbeingpunished.Inaddition,withinthelegalframework,
thegovernmentshouldensurethefreedomofpressbyimplementingtherightsoutlinedinthe
article19oftheUNCovenantonCivilandPoliticalRights.Thiswouldprotectjournalistsfrom
thethreatofalawsuitwhenexposingsensitivematerials.Ownershipisalsoimportantinreducing
thecorruptionlevelwithinthemedia.Asstatecontrolledmediacanbebiasedinfavorofthe
government,itisbesttoencourageprivatemediaownership,whichallowsthereporterstoreport
unbiasedfacts.Lastly,itisimportantthatjournalistsarepaidadequatelyandfreefromthe
controlofthegovernmenttodiscouragebriberyandbeingcontrolled.
Thispaperwasusefulasitprovideswaysinwhichmediacorruptioncanbereduced.
Throughthisarticle,itisacknowledgedthatfreemediaitselfismoreenough,thesefactorsmust
beimplementedatthesametimetoensureefficiency.Theinformationwouldbehelpfulin
furtheringtheresearchonhowthemediacanbeusedtocombatcorruption.

Pei,Minxin."GovernmentbyCorruption."F orbes,22Jan.2009,www.forbes.com/
2009/01/22/corruptiongovernmentdictatorshipbizcorruption09cx_mp_0122pei.html.
Accessed16Nov.2016.

Thearticlediscusseshowcorruptioninautocraciesaremorewidespreadcomparedto
democracies.Theauthorexplainsthatlargeamountofcorruptionoccurwithinthegovernment
becauseofthehighdiscretionarypowerwiththelowaccountability.Theclaimthatcorruptionis
moreprevalentinautocraciesissupportedbytheCorruptionPerceptionIndex2008whichstates
that90%oftheleastcorruptedcountriesaredemocraciesincontrast,themostcorrupted
countriesareallautocracies.Thephenomenoniscausedbytheamountofbribeselitesusesto
securespecialprivilegesormaintainloyalties.Politicalleadersalsousetheirpowerstodiscipline
followersandpurgerivalriesduetothelowlevelofaccountability,theleaderspossessalarge
amountofdiscretiononwhorewardandpunish.ThisisoftenthecaseinChinaasChinese
CommunistPartyLeadersoftenkillachickentowarnthemoneys.Forexample,formerparty
bosswaschargedwithcorruption,wheninreality,hewasbeingpunishedfordisloyalty.
Corruptionisnecessaryforthesurvivalofautocracies.
Thisarticlediscusseswhyautocraciesaremorecorruptedcomparedtodemocracies.The
examplegivenwiththeChineseCommunistPartyisusefulforthereadertounderstandthe
conceptconceptually.Thiswouldbehelpfulforsomeonewhoissearchingforwhattypeof
governmentismoresusceptibletocorruptionasitrevealsthatcorruptionismoreprevalentin
autocracies.

"UnitedNationsConventionagainstCorruption."U NODC,www.unodc.org/unodc/en/
treaties/CAC/conventionhighlights.html.Accessed28Oct.2016.

ThiswebpagedisplaysthehighlightsfromtheUnitedNationsConventionagainst
Corruption.Itincluderesolutionstheconventioncreatedtohelpdecreasethecorruptionlevel
aroundtheworld.Itdiscusseshowcorruptionnotonlyneedstobeprosecuted,italsoneedstobe
prevented.Topreventcorruptionfromhappening,theconventiondraftedmeasuresdedicatedfor
allthedifferentaspectsofthesociety.Theconventionhighlightstheimportanceoftransparency
andaccountabilityinpublicfinanceinpreventingcorruptionfromhappening.Tocombatwith
corruption,theconventionrequirescountriestocriminalizecorruptionstatesareobligatedto
establishtheselawsoratleasttaketherecommendationintoconsideration.Thecountriesalso
agreedonaninternationalagreement,inwhichstateswillcooperatewitheachothertoinvestigate
andprosecuteoffendersofcorruption,andconfiscateandreturnpropertiesgainedbycorrupting.
Whenthepersonisprosecuted,thepersonspropertywouldbereturnedtothepeopleiftheyhave
proofofownership.
ThewebpagehighlightsthekeybreakthroughoftheUnitedNationsConventionagainst
Corruption.ThissitediscusseswhattheUnitedNationhasorganizedinordertofightagainstthe
corruptionproblemthatispresentallaroundtheworld.Thisinformationwouldprovethatthe
UnitedNationacknowledgecorruptionasabigproblemandistryingtoresolvethecrisis.

"2016WorldPressFreedomIndex."R
eporterswithoutBoardersforFreedomofInformation,
2016,rsf.org/en/ranking.Accessed9Jan.2017.
Thewebsitegivesareportoftheamountofpressfreedomaroundtheworldandrank
themfrombesttoworst.Theindexiscompiledusingquantitativedatathatanalysestheabuse
andviolenceagainstjournalists,andqualitativeresultfromaquestionnairethatevaluates
pluralism,mediaindependence,censorship,legislativeframework,transparencyandqualityofthe
infrastructurewithinacountry.Usingthedatacollected,eachcountrywasthengivenascorewith
0beingthebestand100beingtheworst.Thesitealsoincludesapressfreedommapthat
providesavisualoverviewofthepressfreedomscoreifacountryiswhiteitmeansit'sgood
(015),yellowmeansfairlygood(15.0125),orangemeansproblematic(25.0135),redmeans
bad(35.0155)andblackmeansverybad(55.01100).Fromthemap,itisobservedthatallthe
countrieswithawhiteshadingarelocatedinnortheasternEurope.Ontheotherhand,themajority
ofcountriesinAsiaandAfricahaseitheraredorablackshading,signifyingthelackofpress
freedom.
Thiswebsiteishelpfulasitprovidesdataonhowmuchpressfreedomacountry
possessesandhowitcompareswiththerestoftheworld.Thisinformationwillbeusefulwhen
analyzingthecorrelationbetweencorruptionandthelevelofpressfreedom.Fromthemap,a
trendcanbeobservedaccordingtotheTransparencyInternationalcorruptionreport,eastern
Europeisratedasoneoftheleastcorruptedregionandthisreportrevealsthatitisalsothe
regionwiththemostamountoffreepress.