Corruption continues to make headlines with stories ranging from ever-expanding FIFA indictments, to British American Tobacco’s bribery of African officials, to the Petrobras saga that has led to the impeachment proceedings of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. And sadly, this list of seemingly isolated incidents could go on.
The World Economic Forum estimates corruption accounts for 5 percent of the world’s gross domestic product with losses reaching $20 billion to $40 billion in developing countries alone. Each year, International Anti-Corruption Day presents an opportunity to reflect on the current state of corruption and examine factors that both contribute to and detract from economic growth.