USAID’s 2005 Anticorruption Strategy signaled a clear recognition that new approaches need to be taken by host country governments, their civil society and business communities, and international donor organizations to address corruption as a serious obstacle to development. Corruption is both the product and the cause of numerous governance failures, economic dysfunctions and political shortcomings. More than a decade of programming experience demonstrates that effective programs to address corruption must take into account a wide range of these factors to avoid the trap of tackling the symptoms but leaving the underlying disease untreated. A first step toward implementing improved anticorruption programs is to assess how corruption manifests itself in a particular country, the array of factors that drive it, and the effectiveness of existing laws, institutions and control mechanisms meant to reduce a country’s vulnerability to corruption.

The purpose of this handbook is to provide USAID Missions and their implementing partners with an integrated framework and practical tools to conduct tailored anticorruption assessments efficiently and at a level sufficiently detailed to produce targeted and prioritized recommendations for programming. The framework is guided by international best practice, theory and research, as well as the results of pilot assessments that tested earlier versions of the methodology. By offering a common approach by which the dynamics of corruption can be understood and assessed, USAID believes that anticorruption strategies can be improved and programs made more effective and appropriate to different country conditions.

The main objective of the assessment approach outlined in this handbook is to assure that assessments start by casting a wide analytical net to capture the breadth of issues that affect corruption and anticorruption prospects in a country and then provide a clearly-justified, strategic rationale for their final programmatic recommendations. This handbook provides step-by-step practical assistance to implement the methodology and produce an assessment report that addresses a wide range of issues and generates recommendations for action. The guidance provides assessment teams with tools for diagnosing the underlying causes of corruption by analyzing both the state of laws and institutions, as well as the political-economic dynamics of a country. By understanding country-specific drivers of corruption, assessment teams should be able to develop reasonable insights on government sectors and functions that are most vulnerable to corruption and the types of initiatives that can reverse or control these problems. The framework also provides a rationale for setting priorities, choosing some approaches and rejecting others.

The handbook’s approach does not offer automatic cookie-cutter conclusions. The assessment team will have to assimilate and analyze information from a variety of sources to reach conclusions and recommendations. The framework facilitates this process by offering organizing concepts, information gathering tools and corruption categories that can help in diagnosing the targeted country, prioritizing key sectors and functions in need of remediation, and developing an overall strategic plan for anticorruption programming. Each assessment team may find that it will want to adapt, expand or alter these approaches based on the needs of the final users and/or the specifics of the country being assessed.

The handbook is intended to assist a variety of users to carry out assessments -- from anticorruption specialists to country experts, to USAID Democracy and Governance officers and USAID officers in other sectors. It is not intended to be a primer in all things anticorruption, but is meant to give users enough information to be part of a team led by an anticorruption expert.