Why a sectorial approach?
Generally, countries address corruption through a comprehensive approach. This involves developing specific laws and policies, establishing specialized anti-corruption agencies, and improving transparency and efficiency in the public sector, among others.
However, a targeted sector-wide approach is more optimal for addressing the corruption and governance bottlenecks that inhibit efficient and equitable public service delivery in sectors such as education, health and water, and natural resources management. Such an approach enables the development and implementation of sector-specific anti-corruption plans that address the leakages and mismanagement of allocated resources, as well as promotes institutional integrity across sectors. This approach has a positive cumulative impact on preventing corruption.
In this regard, a sectorial approach to fighting corruption has several advantages:
- Such an approach targets public service delivery, with a positive impact on poor, marginalized, and vulnerable populations, while working towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the future Post 2015 development agenda.
- Sector-wide approaches result in a more integrated, interdisciplinary and targeted approach to identifying and mitigating corruption risks.
- Sector-wide approaches better sustain the drive against corruption, as they are usually well received by governments looking to reduce corruption risks and improve delivery of basic services. There tends to be more resistance to high level political intervention.