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With the release of Transparency International's annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), a cautionary reminder about reading too much into the rankings and scores. I outline some of the inherent methodological weaknesses in this piece from 2010 https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/measuring-corruption-in-iraq-between-perceptions-and-reality/
To illustrate, Iraq's CPI score improved slightly in 2020, it went from "20" to "21" and its global ranking climbed from 162 to 160
But the disparity between standardised scores indicates a high degree of subjectivity. Global Insights scored Iraq "10" while BTI's score was "29"
But the disparity between standardised scores indicates a high degree of subjectivity. Global Insights scored Iraq "10" while BTI's score was "29"
This disparity was even starker for the Maldives, its ranking rose from 130th in 2019 to 75th in 2020.
Its CPI score was based on only 3 sources: Global Insights, which was unchanged; World Bank's improved slightly; but VDEM's score jumped from "27" in 2019 to "60" in 2020
Its CPI score was based on only 3 sources: Global Insights, which was unchanged; World Bank's improved slightly; but VDEM's score jumped from "27" in 2019 to "60" in 2020
Of course this doesn't mean that there's no value in the CPI, but reading too much into the rankings or comparing country scores over time can leave you with some erroneous conclusions.
