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THE “MISUSE of entrusted power for private gain”. On some such definitions of corruption Ireland scores relatively well, according to yesterday’s report by Transparency International. Petty corruption through bribery is rare, it finds, while the grand corruption revealed by media and investigated by tribunals no longer poses a major threat to the integrity of the State. But it is not the same with “legal corruption”, in which personal relationships, patronage, political favours and political donations are believed to influence decisions and policy even if no laws are broken, compounded by a lack of transparency in political funding and lobbying.
In recent international surveys Ireland is perceived as suffering from relatively high levels of such informal misuses of power. That perception matters all the more after the collapse of the property boom dragged down the banking system and revealed how ineffective has been the light-touch regulatory system. As a result this State’s reputation for public probity and visible regulation badly needs to be restored if the labels of crony capitalism and endemic political clientelism are not to become indelible. The report audits the strengths and weaknesses of Ireland’s institutional protections against corruption very well. It should inspire debate on what reforms are needed to bolster those defences.
