The Impact of Transparency in the Fight Against Corruption

Abstract

Transparency and corruption are topics with high interest not only for researchers but especially for politicians, citizens and decision takers. Transparency is seen as an important instrument in the fight against corruption. Transparency and corruption phenomena are considered to be the most difficult to assess due to the subjectivity that characterizes them. For this reason, in this study we will show some results based on citizens perception. The method used to collect information regarding citizens perception is questionnaire and than the data are analyzed through a logistic model. Interesting results came out this research such as people who have been in contact with public institutions during the last months have 5,477 times more opportunities to give bribes compared to those who have not been in contact. Transparency is considered a good tool to fight corruption because based on the model result people who know the meaning of the right to information have 86.3% less chance to give bribes than people who do not know the meaning of the right of information. Whereas people who know the Albanian law on the right to information have 48% less chance of bribing than people who do not know this law. Based on these results it is necessary to raise citizen awareness on the use of the right to information as instrument to fight corruption.