TI Knowledge Hub: Overview of Corruption and Anti-Corruption in Central Asia

The Transparency International Knowledge Hub brief “Overview of Corruption and Anti-Corruption in Central Asia”, dated 28 January 2021 and authored by Krista Lee-Jones with Matthew Jenkins and Altynai Myrzabekova as reviewers, is an Anti-Corruption Helpdesk brief produced in response to a query from a Transparency International national chapter. The report states that the query asked for an overview of corruption and anti-corruption in the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and consideration of the role of corruption in undermining effective and equitable responses to COVID-19. According to the brief, the five Central Asian nations have each taken a different path since the collapse of the Soviet Union but all have struggled in varying degrees to transition from authoritarian rule to democracy, and corruption permeates most areas of politics and government. The report states that the consequences of autocratic governance became obvious in 2020 as widespread corruption hindered the region’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with health systems struggling to cope, ever tighter restrictions imposed on freedom of speech and access to information, and “an alarming opacity in the allocation of funds dedicated to the response effort.” The brief’s main points state that corruption is rampant throughout Central Asia, with the five countries averaging 26.6 out of 100 on the 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index, far below the global average of 43; that despite widespread anti-corruption rhetoric by political leaders, in practice nominal anti-corruption campaigns often target opposition figures and government critics; and that while corruption has hampered the region’s COVID-19 response, governments across the region have used the pandemic as a pretext to clamp down on political dissent. The brief’s contents cover background, regional framework, country-by-country sections for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, the impact of corruption on the COVID-19 response, and references. Sources cited: Transparency International, 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index, national chapter query, European Union funding.