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Many countries with abundant resources that should be thriving are dragged into poverty and strife by the burden of bribery and corruption. The loss goes far beyond the small and large sums that change hands dishonestly; the true price must take the ensuing failures and opportunity costs into account. Peter Eigen abhors corruption and describes strategies that can be used by companies, governments, and citizens to break its pernicious cycles and lift themselves to more efficient, fair, and honest dealings.
Petty corruption can be dealt with by using the tools of civil society to teach people how to protect their rights. Grand corruption requires a more far reaching approach. Bribery is especially hard to root out as business has become increasingly global. In some cases, laws allow practices outside the home country that are forbidden domestically. With the very large sums at stake in procurement contracts, international competition makes it hard for one country to clamp down on abuse without fear of losing contracts to other bidders who are not playing by the same rules. As a result, everyone is dragged down in a devastating prisoner's dilemma.
Eigen offers several solutions. The key is bringing people together in a joint process. Transparency International has pioneered the idea of an "island of integrity'" where all competitors can come together to stop bribery simultaneously. They've also helped to develop a legal framework for sanctioning violators and anti-corruption awards, as well as a "corruption perception index" to help gauge problems and measure progress.
Even with proven anti-corruption methods working well around the world, Eigen still sees the need for vigilance. Further progress can be made through the synergistic efforts of civil society groups, academics, and the media. Information Technology has made it easier for these watchdogs to communicate and cooperate, but has also given new tools to malevolent forces looking to hide corrupt activities electronically. Freedom of information is emerging as an important new tool for keeping governments and businesses honest.
Prof. Dr. Peter Eigen is a lawyer by training. He has worked in economic development for 25 years, mainly as a World Bank manager of programs in Africa and Latin America. Under Ford Foundation sponsorship, he provided legal and technical assistance to the governments of Botswana and Namibia, and taught Law at the Universities of Frankfurt and Georgetown. From 1988 to 1991 he was the Director of the Regional Mission for Eastern Africa of the World Bank. He is the founder and Chair of the Advisory Council of Transparency International, a non-governmental organization promoting transparency and accountability in international development. Headquartered in Berlin, it supports National Chapters in more than 90 countries.
From 1999 to 2001 Peter Eigen was a faculty member of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. In September 2001, he joined the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace as Visiting Scholar while teaching at Johns Hopkins University. He also joined the Board of The Centre for International Environmental Law. Since 2002, he teaches as Honorary Professor of Political Science of the Freie Universität Berlin. In 2000, he received the award of Honorary Doctor of the Open University, UK. In 2004, Peter Eigen received the Readers Digest Award ‘European of the Year 2004’. From 2005 he chaired the International Advisory Group of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). In 2006 he became Chair of EITI and joined the African Progress Panel.
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