# Working Paper 02/2008: Poverty and Corruption URL: https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/working-paper-02-2008-poverty-and-corruption Type: Publication or report Published: 2008-04-02 Updated: 2020-04-06 --- 02 April 2008 The year 2007 marked a milestone in the fight against poverty and corruption. It represented the midway point on the road to meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the ambitious global pledge to end extreme poverty by 2015. It also signalled that ten years had passed since the anti- corruption movement had signed the Lima Declaration, promising to address poverty as part of their efforts. However, actual accomplishments have fallen short of expected progress. In practice, donors and governments still treat poverty and corruption as separate — rather than integral — components of the same strategy. The continued lack of policy integration has undermined efforts to fight both poverty and corruption. Poverty continues to plague more than a half of the world’s citizens, with nearly three billion people living on less than two dollars-a-day. Data on the MDGs show the current development trend not keeping pace with earlier projections. Bottlenecks have developed in certain regions and key countries, creating sizable challenges to meeting the 2015 timeline. ### Related publications ## [Enabler Accountability: Assessing Measures Taken against Professionals Implicated in Cases of Illicit Financial Flows from Africa](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/enabler-accountability-illicit-financial-flows-africa) Publication • 31 March 2026 How often are enablers of illicit financial flows held to account? We examine criminal and administrative action, enforcement gaps and priorities for reform. ## [Digital disclosure of political finance in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/digital-disclosure-political-finance-africa-asia-pacific-latin-america-caribbean) Publication • 06 November 2025 This study reviews the approaches to digital disclosure of political party and candidate finance in three regions. ## [The role of business in fighting impunity and corruption to protect environmental defenders](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/the-role-of-business-in-fighting-impunity-and-corruption-to-protect-environmental-defenders) Publication • 20 October 2025 The paper offers a roadmap for action, urging businesses, policymakers, and investors to embed integrity beyond compliance and strengthen protections for defenders and… ## [Public Loans, Private Gains: Addressing corruption across the debt cycle](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/public-loans-private-gains-addressing-corruption-across-the-debt-cycle) Publication • 04 September 2025 This working paper explores how corruption risks permeate every stage of the sovereign debt cycle – from contracting and management to restructuring. ![](https://images.transparencycdn.org/images/2008_2_WP_PovertyAndCorruption_EN.jpg?auto=compress&fit=crop&fm=webp&w=1200) [Download](https://images.transparencycdn.org/images/WP_2302-2008_25_March_2008_poverty.pdf)