The ERF 18th Annual Conference kicked off today with its first plenary session, featuring an impressive-line up of speakers. They provided inspiring food for thought on the issue of measuring corruption and its consequence, framing the discussion that will be further explored in the plenary sessions over the next two days of the conference.
After the opening remarks of Ahmed Galal, ERF managing director, and Abdlatif Al-Hamad (Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development), Professor Paul Collier highlighted how the costs of corruption are hard to measure and greater than it is possible to imagine. He provided examples of both 'grand' and 'petty' corruption and contrasted commercial public sector corruption with the type found in the private sector.
Daniel Kaufmann (Brookings Institution) discussed the many different measures of corruption and their relationships, citing the importance of voice, accountability, and freedom of speech and association.
Finally, Serdar Sayan (TOBB University of Economics and Technology) underscored new approaches to gauging corruption in different parts of the world, using survey-based measures to assess perceptions.
Related posts:
Related videos:
- Interview Paul Collier
- Interview Serdar Sayan