News Release
The Cost of Corruption in Europe — Up to €990 Billion (£781.64 Billion) Lost Annually
Mar 22, 2016
Corruption is a phenomenon that can inflict serious political, economic and social harms to societies around the world. In addition, it poses a significant challenge to social justice and the rule of law, which may undermine trust in democracy and democratic institutions and processes.
The risks of and harms caused by corruption are well recognised by the European Union. 'Fight against corruption' was one of the key objectives of the Stockholm Programme, which guided home affairs priorities in the European Union from 2010-2014. Control of corruption is also one of the components of Europe 2020, the growth strategy for the European Union covering the current decade.
This study looks at the cost of non-Europe in relation to corruption. 'Cost of non-Europe' studies may examine either the challenges of incomplete integration, or the opportunities afforded by greater integration than currently exists. In this case, we examined the potential added value or benefits of EU-wide implementation of anti-corruption policies.
Please note: This report is not available on the RAND website but can be downloaded from the European Parliament website.
Chapter One
Introduction
Chapter Two
Quantifying the costs of corruption
Chapter Three
The effectiveness of existing anti-corruption measures
Chapter Four
Costs of Non-Europe: what are the potential benefits of action at EU-level?
Chapter Five
Report summary and conclusions
The research described in this report was prepared for the European Added Value Unit and conducted by RAND Europe.
This report is part of the RAND Corporation research report series. RAND reports present research findings and objective analysis that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.