ABSTRACT
Effective corruption prevention enhances good governance, but it usually remains unclear in what ways. If corruption prevention is a potential trigger for governance improvements, then the role of the anti-corruption agency (ACA) is critical. Identifying corruption as a major obstacle to good governance will make little difference unless there are viable plans to deal with it and unless there are effective ACAs to implement these plans. In Hong Kong, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has contributed to substantial improvements in governance. The success in corruption control has served to reduce the legitimacy deficit by strengthening the moral authority of government. Clean government has lowered the cost of public goods and services by eliminating the need to pay bribes and ensured the public that dealings with government will be undertaken with integrity and impartiality. A corruption-free and responsible civil service serves as the foundation on which reforms have been carried out to further improve governance. In society, effective corruption prevention has facilitated clean, efficient and transparent business transactions and has increased the level of trust by promoting values such as honesty, fairness and integrity.
