NEPAL COMPARES FAVORABLY IN CORRUPTION SURVEY

UNCLAS KATHMANDU 000080

SIPDIS

SA/INS FOR EKPUK
LONDON FOR POL - REIDEL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV SOCI NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL COMPARES FAVORABLY IN CORRUPTION SURVEY

REF: 2002 KATHMANDU 2467


1. In December 2002, Transparency International-Bangladesh
(TIB) completed a citizen survey of five South Asian
countries on the incidence of corruption in accessing and
using government services in education, health, power, land
administration, taxation, police, and the judiciary. In
almost all categories, Nepalis reported relatively low levels
of corruption compared with those of their neighbors. In
fact, reports in most categories rate corruption in
government services one-third to one-half of Nepal's South
Asian neighbors.


2. The survey reported the incidence of corruption for:
-- Education at 25 percent (the lowest in the region);
-- Health Services at 18 percent (the second lowest, behind
India);
-- Power at 12 percent (the lowest in the region);
-- Land Administration at 17 percent (the lowest in the
region);
-- Tax Administration at 25 percent (the second lowest in the
region, behind India);
-- Police Services at 48 percent (the lowest in the region);
and
-- Judiciary at 42 percent (the lowest in the region).


3. The survey does not give Nepal a clean slate and, in fact,
finds that requested bribes are exceptionally high--USD 180
for health services and USD 160 for tax administration--when
compared with Nepal's per capita GDP of USD 220. The survey
also asked respondents to rank the the government's services
according to their perception of corrupt practices. Nepalis
rated the police as the most corrupt, followed by the
judiciary, with education and tax administration tying for
third.


4. Comment. Virtually all analyses of the Maoist insurgency
in Nepal rank governmental corruption high as a root cause.
If the survey results summarized above are valid, corruption
in public administration may be a less salient cause of
general discontent than other factors, such as the virtual
absence of in many remote areas of any effective government
services. Perhaps the survey could have been more insightful
if it had assessed the incidence of political corruption.
End Comment.


5. TIB's report, Corruption in South Asia: Insights and
Benchmarks from Citizen Feedback Surveys in Five Countries,
can be found at http://www.ti-bangladesh.org/. The study
acknowledges a grant from USAID in making the effort possible.
MALINOWSKI