Just two years ago, Honduras was believed to have one of the best anti-corruption campaigns in the world. The country was taking a serious stand against corruption. Laws were passed that significantly increased transparency and also denied immunity for anyone implicated in corruption, including current and formers presidents. While the laws were on the books, enforcement proved to be much harder.
In her blog in last Friday’s Washington Post, Marcela Sanchez writes in detail about how Honduras’s anti-corruption campaign has faltered. The attempt was genuine, but ultimately corruption continues practically unabated. Sanchez points out that only 2.2 percent of the 1,925 corruption cases that reached the Supreme Court between 2002 and 2006 ended in a conviction.
This is just one more illustration that getting laws in place, even good laws, is not enough. Many great reform initiatives hit a roadblock on the implementation stage, and those roadblocks seem to be more prevalent in emerging markets – which underscores the importance of broad institutions in any single-issue reform agenda.
Published Date: July 30, 2007