ABSTRACT
What lessons may be learned from Hong Kong’s experience of corruption prevention? Can the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in Hong Kong serve as a useful model for anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) elsewhere? Anti-corruption strategies vary, depending on the political, social and cultural conditions of a country. It is at the interface between ACAs and the public that the ICAC’s experience shows its value. There may well be situations in which people engage in corrupt transactions, considering it to be a normal way of life. If ACAs do nothing to change it, corruption is likely to rise. But if an ACA actively engages with civil society, changes social attitudes toward corruption, and receives strong public support, then it can make a big difference. The ICAC’s experience is particularly relevant to such a transformation. An effective and institutionalised ACA, as the ICAC’s experience shows, facilitates good governance, contributes to economic prosperity, and enhances the values of transparency, fairness, accountability and integrity in society.
