Anti-Corruption Program

The aim of the project is to build trust in public institutions, foster civic awareness and make the public more sensitive to various manifestations of corruption in the country.

 

We pursue these objectives by initiating and supporting a civic movement towards increased transparency of public life, information and education activity devised to influence public attitudes towards the phenomenon of corruption in daily life, and by proposing legislative changes which promote social participation in decision making, guarantee the transparency of decision making processes, and institute control mechanisms which prevent corruption.

 

Its main focus in 2003 was to monitor a) central and b) local government. Monitoring of the government at the central level.

 

Annual public opinion research: Each year we conduct a survey on how the corruption we are dealing with on an everyday basis is perceived. The findings provide an input to what we call a barometer, which records changes in public attitudes towards corruption and indicates the scale and nature of corrupt patterns.

 

Additionally, each year we made a research on corruption in a chosen aspect of public life: health service, local government and public offices, in business or legislative. On the basis of the survey reports are produced (reports are available on our website).

 

Anticorruption strategy monitoring: In September 2002 Polish government adopted an anticorruption strategy. This document included numerous entries treated as strict obligations: it stated precisely who must do what and in what time-limit. Anti-Corruption Program assumed the monitoring of this strategy.

 

The results of the monitoring (posted on our website) drew attention of the media and public opinion, since they were the only independent source of information on that issue.

 

Monitoring of election promises 2001: Review conference In collaboration with the Helsinki Human Rights Foundation and the Social Communication Foundation we have been reviewing how political parties are fulfilling their pledge to fight corruption made during the parliamentary election campaign in 2001. We organise annual conferences attended by party representatives to evaluate the status of implementation of election promises.

 

Only Fish Don't Take Bait? contest for investigative journalists organized every year since 2000 Monitoring of the government at the local level.

Local Civic Groups In 2000 we initiated the formation of a network of local civic groups to monitor the activity of the authorities and to organize educational campaign for a greater transparency of public life. Each year we train a group of leaders in the field of law, local government, leadership skills and work in local community.

 

Transparent Townhalls in the Visehrad Region We work with the Czech, Slovak and Hungarian offices of Transparency International to build a coalition of officials, councillors and NGO leaders towards implementing transparency into local government offices in capital cities of the Visegrad countries. Each year the representatives of the cities meet to share the knowledge and experience and develop and commit to implement at an anti-corruption action plan. We provide legal advice for individuals who report cases of corruption and offering them free legal professional counsel. We are also organizing seminars and publishing reports regarding common important problems (whistleblowers, civil service, political responsibility of public holders and others)

Publications in English available on the website http://www.batory.org.pl/english/pub/index.htm#corrupt :

 

Role of Non-Governmental Organisations in the Process of Corruption Limitation, by Grazyna Kopinska, director of the Stefan Batory Foundation's Anti-Corruption Program, presented at a colloquium on modern European standards and the ethics of transition "Towards Good Governance" organized by the University of London, School of Slavonic & East European Studies, July, 6-7th, 2001. Report on survey: Corruption in Everyday Experience in Poland, by Anna Kubiak, Warsaw 2001.  Public and Official Opinion on Corruption in Government - study, report and final remarks by Anna Kubiak, Warsaw 2002 . Report on survey: The Voice of General Public and Business People on Corruption, by Anna Kubiak, Warsaw 2003 . Publications in Polish available on the website http://www.batory.org.pl/korupcja/pub.htm

Annual public opinion research belongs to regular projects of the Anti-Corruption Program. At the request of the Anti-Corruption Program an opinion poll is conducted every year on corruption in major areas of public life. It was studied "everyday" corruption (2000), corruption in health services (2001), corruption in local government (2002), corruption in business (2003) and political corruption (2004).

 

Every year we repeatedly ask several general questions, which helps us understand the changes in attitudes.

 

Findings help us understand the true level of knowledge and they are good learning tools and public discussion triggers. Sometimes, as was the case with corruption in health care service questionnaire, these exercises are watershed events which give rise to self-healing programs.

 

Each yearly research consists of two parts: I. First research is of the "Omnibus" kind, carried out on nationwide sample and contains 3 to 6 questions of general kind, annually repeated. Comparing the answers to that questions given by respondents within the compass of years we can create so-called barometer of corruption. It allow us to observe changes in perception of the issue of corruption by public opinion. II. Research dedicated to the concrete problem and concrete institutions or professional circles. Each year a different area is chosen.

Annual report on survey I. First research is of the "Omnibus" kind, carried out on nationwide sample and contains 3 to 6 questions of general kind, annually repeated. Quantitative information. II. Second research is addressed to the professional circles (about 250-400 persons). Qualitative information. All researches are carried out by the Public Opinion Research Center (CBOS).