US plummets in global anti-corruption index

A global anti-corruption watchdog says the United States has dropped four spots in its list of nations' anti-corruption efforts and is now no longer listed in the top 20 for the first time. "Corruption chips away at democracy to produce a vicious cycle, where corruption undermines democratic institutions and, in turn, weak institutions are less able to control corruption," said Patricia Moreira, managing director of Transparency International (TI). The Corruption Perceptions Index, which ranks 180 countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, found overall that the ...