What works: global experiences in public administration

Abstract

As many countries are struggling to tackle corruption, this chapter analyzes various approaches and their effectiveness in preventing corruption in public administration. We start with a discussion on the extent, costs and forms of corruption. We then present two major historical trends on the responses to corruption in public administration: management, and governance approaches. We then deep dive into six issues, in terms of what works and what does not, in preventing corruption: motivation, meritocracy, openness and transparency, citizen engagement, e-governance and risk management. As a way forward, we recommend three solutions to institutionalize the prevention of corruption: 1) in this increasingly digitized world, public administration should focus on the use of innovation and technology; 2) to be effective in preventing corruption, the overall ethics and integrity infrastructure needs to be improved; and 3) reforms in public administration should strengthen the role of citizens and civil society to prevent corruption.