ABSTRACT
Corruption is a serious problem in many Asian countries according to the annual surveys conducted by the Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd. (PERC) and the Berlin-based Transparency International (TI). This chapter describes the factors which induce individuals to commit corrupt acts. In his comparative study of the control of bureaucratic corruption in Hong Kong, India and Indonesia, Leslie Palmier has identified the factors as important causes of corruption: opportunities, salaries ana policing. The chapter discusses the measures employed by the governments in Hong Kong, India, Mongolia, Philippines and Singapore to reduce the opportunities for corruption as well as increase the risk of detecting and punishing corrupt behavior. These five countries exhibit three patterns in controlling corruption: anti-corruption legislation with no independent agency, anti-corruption legislation with several agencies, and anti-corruption legislation with an independent agency.
