India is #79 most corrupt nation and China is #65!

Updated Oct 5, 2006 – new data from TI.
Raymond Fisman and Edward Miguel, in a Freakanomics style study, for determining the level of corruption in a country have used the number of unpaid NYC parking tickets U.N. diplomats racked up. Their premise is that the diplomats abusing their diplomatic protection are likely to come from countries that are corrupt. Fisman and Miguel also point out another factor that is at play – the degree of unfavorable views that the country holds about the U.S.A. <Via Kottke> Kuwait and Egypt are No.1 and No. 2, Pakistan is No. 10,  China is #65, India #79, Sweden and Turkey are at the bottom (least corrupt) as expected.

The study’s results seem to correlate well with the Transparency International’s corruption index. It is heartening to note that India is in the middle and not at the bottom. I guess I said it too soon. Transparency International released their 2006 data on Bribe Payers and it puts India as No.1 and China as No. 2 countries from where companies paying bribes are mostly likely to come from.