1. Social economic and political context
Applying the Capacity Assessment Methodology to anti-corruption agencies
Enabling environment
Anti-corruption agencies operate in different contexts depending on the country. Therefore, analyzing an ACA’s social, political and economic context is a pre-requisite for understanding the enabling environment. The informal “rules of the game” are as important as the formal institutional arrangements and legal frameworks supporting the ACA. Hence, a thorough political economy analysis—such as identification of political actors supportive of the ACA and the historical background behind the creation of the institution—will help in assessing the capacity of the ACA. The political situation, particularly the political will to combat corruption, is an important parameter to determine an ACA’s effectiveness.
You should also take into account whether a country is in democratic transition or post-conflict reconstruction or is/has emerged from a political settlement. Cross-border issues also need to be considered, such as the linkages between corruption and transnational organized crime and drug trafficking. Similarly, the geographical situation (small vs. vast territories) and the types of corruption perceived to be pervasive in the country (grand vs. petty) are also relevant to the enabling environment. Cultural understanding is also important; traditional kinship (clan) networks, although informal, may hold sway in some societies and traditional practices such as gift giving may not be considered corruption. The economic context also impacts the ACA. For example:
- What are the main economic activities in the country?
- Where are there opportunities for corruption?
- Are any natural resources being exploited in the country? Is the economy export driven?