The black and white magic of TIYs corruption perceptions index.

(From Prague Business Journal)

Byline: Jan Machacek

The global organization Transparency International has published its annual Corruption Perceptions Index, and once again the ranking of the Czech Republic has worsened. It's not very surprising considering that the country's ranking has dropped every single year since the organization began measuring the perception of corruption worldwide, in 1996. Last year, the Czech Republic finished 52nd, this year 54th. There are reasons to take the results seriously, but there are also reasons to take the rankings with a grain of salt. The results should not be taken "literally" as proof of the level of corruption in this country. The index measures "perception," not corruption itself. That fact is worth keeping in mind. Secondly, the method of putting the index together has been changed numerous times. The most recent changes were …