ABSTRACT
Introduction The severely negative impact of corruption is a sucient justication for placing it high on the reform agenda, particularly since globalisation accelerated in the 1990s. In a globalised world, corruption in one country is easily transmitted to another country, forcing both countries to bear the costs. Coupled with a domestic thrust in democratic governance, this environment has pushed many countries to take steps to cope with corruption (UNDP 2014). Although genuine motivation might vary from one country to another, developed as well as developing countries have reacted to this global demand. A popular and typical response of developing countries is to enact an anti-corruption law and to establish an independent anti-corruption agency (ACA) (Rose-Ackerman 1999). This anti-corruption institution-building is usually in line with typical recommendations on anti-corruption reform articulated in the academic literature and policy reports (Meagher 2005). However, despite almost 20 years of anti-corruption reform, there are not many developing countries which have made notable progress in controlling corruption (Heilbrunn 2004; UNDP 2011).
