Perceptions matter
In a 2016 report by Transparency International in nine Arab states, 61 percent of citizens polled said they believed corruption was on the rise in their countries, and 68 percent said their government was “doing badly” in fighting corruption.
In Jordan, 75 percent of respondents said they believe corruption had increased, while an Arab Barometer survey in 2016 indicated that 79 percent believed state institutions were corrupt.
In an August 2017 poll by the International Republican Institute Center for Insights in Survey Research, 87 percent of Tunisian respondents stated that the economy is somewhat or very bad, while 72 percent said fighting corruption was the best way to improve the economy.
For many citizens, corruption is not only the cause of economic ills, but ending it is a cure-all. Jail the corrupt officials and return the stolen funds to the treasury and budget deficits will be closed, investment projects funded, prosperity achieved.
Read the full article at the Christian Science Monitor.
