National Household Survey on Corruption By TIB:

TIB conducts the National Household Survey on Corruption once in every two years with the objective of measuring the nature and extent of corruption in essential service delivery sectors as experienced by households. The survey for 2007 was the fourth in this series covering the period June 2006 to July 2007. The sample size was 5000; the households were selected for interview through a multistage cluster sampling design. The survey results were released through a press conference on 18 June 2008 at the National Press Club.

The survey revealed that overall 66.7% households experienced corruption during interactions for receiving services in the selected sectors. Among the surveyed households 42.1% had to pay bribe for receiving services from different sectors. An average household in Bangladesh had to pay Tk.4134 ($1=Tk.69.50) as bribe in the reference period for receiving services from the selected sectors with per capita bribe amounting to Tk. 861. Bribery had claimed 3.84% of per capita household income. It was estimated that total amount of bribe paid nationally was Tk. 54.43 billion. One of the conclusions drawn from the survey results was that corruption is being increasingly institutionalized in Bangladesh. The incidence of corruption is indifferent to location (urbanlocal) and gender, indicating indiscriminate depth and breadth of the problem.

The incidence of corruption was highest in the law enforcement agencies in which 96.6% households of those who interacted with them during the period had experienced corruption. The other leading sectors from where households experienced corruption were local government (62.5%) and land administration (52.7%). The ratio of people who experienced bribery was also found to be highest in law enforcement agencies, with 64.6% households having such experience for receiving servicesfrom law enforcement agencies followed by land administration (51.1%) and judiciary (41.7%).

The survey brought out a comparative picture of prevalence of bribery during July-December 2006 and January-June 2007. The results were mixed. In some sectors corruption in the form of bribery increased, while it had decreased in some other sectors. The overall incidence of bribery was found marginally higher in July-December 2006 than January-June 2007. The incidence of bribery increased in education, health, land administration, local government and NGOs. The sectors that showed decline in incidence of bribery include law enforcement, judiciary, electricity, banking and taxation. This might have happened due to anti-corruption drive by the caretaker government which apparently impacted upon the second group of sectors more than others which remained largely unaffected by the drive. The survey, however, found that in both cases of increase and decrease of corruption during the compared period the changes were not statistically significant. On the basis of the findings of the survey, TIB made some recommendations for consideration of the Government and other stakeholders.

1. It has to be established that corruption is punishable offence in the society, irrespective of the level at which the act of corruption takes place.

2. In the drive against corruption, rule law must be ensured without fear or favour, and without deviating from due judicial process and transparency.

3. The process of checks and balances in use of power at every stage and every institution must be firmly established.

4. Strong transparency and accountability mechanism in every institution has to be in place and strictly practiced.

5. Every institution in the Government and outside should establish its own regular monitoring cell to address irregularities and corruption.

6. Appointments, promotions, postings and transfers in public service should be based on
performance and merit and not on political influence, bribery and other means of influence.
Effective legal and ethical standards have to be put in place with enforcement and monitoring mechanisms for zero tolerance against corruption. Salaries and benefits of public servants should be commensurate with the cost of living to prevent erosion of integrity and honesty. But such positive incentives have to be accompanied by negative incentives ensuring disciplinary action in case of deviations from rules and regulations and established codes of conduct.

7. Citizens’ Charter has to be adopted in every service delivery institution in a participatory process including provisions for enforcement, specific measures to prevent deviation, and strict monitoring.

8. Independent and effective functioning of the watchdog bodies like the Anti-corruption Commission is indispensable. Equally, measures have to be taken to allocate necessary resources and to increase their skills and capacities. The office of Ombudsman should be created with sufficient resources and capacities in every Government Ministry and/or Department.

9. In addition to the watchdog bodies like the Anti-corruption Commission and Ombudsman’s office, the key institutions of democracy and National Integrity System (NIS) must work effectively, reflecting high degree of professionalism, impartiality, ethics and integrity.

10. Media should be allowed full freedom to report on corruption and create public awareness and demand for controlling corruption.

11. Access to information is a key to the effective prevention and control of corruption. People’s right to information must be legally ensured and rigorously implemented.