Working Paper 05/2009: Corruption and Local Government

Anti-corruption initiatives often focus on abuses and illegal practices at the national level. Yet significant power is also vested in local government; for allocating state resources to citizens and delivering public services directly. As a result, it is likely that in the course of their daily lives citizens have more contact with local agencies than with the national government. This proximity to the people and the discretion that local officials have in exercising their functions can make local government highly vulnerable to corruption.