Diagnosing Corruption in Ethiopia : Perceptions, Realities, and the Way Forward for Key Sectors

For decades, corruption in Ethiopia has been discussed only at the margins. Perhaps because many have not experienced corruption as a significant constraint to their lives and businesses, or perhaps because a culture of circumspection has dampened open dialogue, Ethiopia has seen neither the information flows nor the debate on corruption that most other countries have seen in recent years. To address this information gap, the World Bank agreed with the government of Ethiopia and its Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC) to undertake research and produce an independent overview of corruption, identify follow-up actions to these diagnostics, and articulate the proposed approach in an anti-corruption strategy and action plan for Ethiopia. This publication fulfills the first stage of the process through a set of preliminary studies that map the nature of corruption in eight Ethiopian sectors, focusing on three key objectives: 1) develop sector frameworks that enable mapping of the potential areas of corruption on a sector-by-sector basis; 2) map the different forms and types of corrupt practices in the selected sectors; and 3) consider the higher-risk areas and identify appropriate sector or crosscutting responses for government and other stakeholders.