Anti-corruption efforts have stalled around the world, including in the U.S., study finds

The U.S. dropped to 27th place in Transparency International’s 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index, the first time it has failed to make the top 25. Transparency International’s 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index, which measures the perception of public-sector malfeasance according to experts and businesspeople, found that “increasingly, rights and checks and balances are being undermined not only in countries with systemic corruption and weak institutions, but also among established democracies.” Among other issues over the last year, it cited the use of Pegasus software, which has been linked to snooping on human rights activists, journalists and politicians across the globe. The report said the pandemic has “been used in many countries as an excuse to curtail basic freedoms and sidestep important checks and balances.” In Western Europe, the best-scoring region overall, the pandemic has given countries “an excuse for complacency in anti-corruption efforts as accountability and transparency measures are neglected or even rolled back,” the organization said. Transparency said the U.S. dropped out of the top 25 for the first time “as it faces continuous attacks on free and fair elections and an opaque campaign finance system.” Denmark, New Zealand and Finland tied for first place with 88 points each; the first two were unchanged from the previous index, while Finland gained three points.