Governance and Corruption around the World: New Findings and Lessons for the MENA region

On October 7, 2005, the Lebanese Transparency Association (LTA) along with the Department of Political Studies and Public Administration at the American University of Beirut as well as the World Bank, held a public seminar entitled : "Governance and Corruption around the World: New Findings and Lessons for the Middle East and North Africa", presented by Daniel Kaufmann. The presentation was made in the framework of World Bank governance experts Daniel Kaufmann and Robert Beschel's exceptional visit to Lebanon.

Daniel Kaufmann's presentation focused on empirical evidence on governance. It introduced sources of data on governance as well as the technical progress in measurement made in the field of governance. Daniel Kaufmann also presented the following six governance indicators considered by the World Bank, within the framework of case studies: voice and accountability, political stability, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law, and control of corruption. Special focus was attributed to transparency and anti-corruption measures.

Corruption and Governance in Lebanon

Daniel Kaufmann emphasized the Lebanese case, in comparison to its MENA region counterparts. In Lebanon, corruption is an obstacle to economic growth and the country is lagging behind other countries in terms of the six governance indicators and on doing and/or starting business.

For additional information, please consult the World Bank's governance site