Fighting Corruption in Customs Administration : What Can we Learn from Recent Experiences?

In many developing countries, customs efficiency is hampered by widespread corruption. This creates a major disincentive and obstacle to trade expansion. It also leads to disastrous consequences in terms of national security and public finance. This OECD Development Centre Technical Paper examines the nature of customs corruption and suggests some practical paths to integrity. It is based on fact-finding studies of recent experience of customs reform in Bolivia, Pakistan and the Philippines. These studies were entrusted to experts, especially qualified, by personal, inside experience, to identify, describe and evaluate the problems and developments in each of the relevant customs services. They provide a detailed, objective and intimate account of the character of corruption practices, the forces at work for and against reform and the outcome in each of the three countries. Based on the analysis of the serious setbacks in Bolivia and Pakistan and relative success in the Philippines ...