2009 Assessment

This peer-reviewed country report includes:

Integrity Indicators Scorecard: Scores, scoring criteria, commentary, references, and peer review perspectives for more than 300 Integrity Indicators.

Reporter's Notebook: An on-the-ground look at corruption and integrity from a leading local journalist.

Corruption Timeline: Ten years of political context to today's corruption and integrity issues.

Although partisan politics continue to influence the make-up and function of government in Georgia, there have been improvements in the responsiveness of government agencies to citizen concerns. Most government documents can be accessed within a reasonable amount of time and cost. With the help of new whistle-blower protections, the ombudsman's office has built a reputation with the public for its responsiveness, "even though the government is reluctant to cooperate with it." The parliament's approval of a new "semi-autonomous" anti-crime unit within the Ministry of Finance this year has the potential to strengthen the network of anti-corruption agencies decentralized across the Georgian government. The government also made overtures to civil society groups in 2009 by increasing CSO involvement in policy debate and creating an anti-corruption alliance under the Ministry of Justice which included CSOs. However, doubts remain about the true impact of government consultation with CSOs. Power is tightly consolidated in the executive branch, where levels of accountability are low and the activities of the ruling party are mixed with those of the state.