Corruption, transparency and a role for libraries

Abstract

Corruption is an all-pervasive phenomenon, whether as the predator corruption of powerful business and political elites, or the petty corruption that acts as a kind of extra tax on the poor. Transparency in various forms offers potential for the combating of corruption through access to knowledge of regulations and laws, as well as revelations of wrong-doing. Relevant aspects of transparency include: open government and public scrutiny of official business; freedom of information laws; protection of public interest disclosure (whistleblowing); enforcement of good practice in financial accounting and audit; protection of investigative journalism; and civil society campaigning. The implications for archives and records management (the sources of information on transactions that may include corrupt dealing) are obvious, but libraries are also capable of playing a part.