Quantifying corruption: The urgent need for metrics

Over the past three decades, there have been numerous attempts to quantify corruption and its consequences using a variety of methodologies and data sources. The majority of measurements have concentrated on perception-based indicators, which, in addition to exhibiting a high degree of subjectivity, represent a highly constrained approach to the phenomenon. The perception of corruption is of limited value in monitoring its evolution or in evaluating the effectiveness of anti-corruption efforts. This article presents an examination of some of the most influential measures of corruption, offering an assessment of their strengths and weaknesses and concluding with an introduction of the UNODC Statistical framework to measure corruption. This framework is presented as a tool for approximating the size of different types of corruption, monitoring the implementation of preventive measures, and evaluating government responses to this phenomenon.