Wikipedia "Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy" (National University of Singapore)
On 19 September 20
12, Dr. Karin Lasthuizen, Associate Professor in Leadership and Governance Studies, VU University Amsterdam (The Netherlands) gave a talk at the Lee Kuan Yew School on research techniques to measure 'sensitive' issues such as corruption.
Dr. Lasthuizen began by identifying the problems associated with measuring corruption, including its causes, visibility, awareness of corrupt practices, and problems regarding the reporting, investigating and sanctioning of it. She then spoke on the types of data sources, and research strategies available. Some data is visible and investigated, while others remain hidden because of confidential internal investigations, or the reporting behaviour of victims and perpetrators.
One way to measure corruption is through reputational data. Surveys, such as those collected by Transparency International, an non-governmental organisation that publishes the widely cited Corruption Perception Index, ask respondents to estimate the amount of corruption in their society. However, reputational data tends to be concerned with opinion, rather than evidence. While it can be reliable and useful, especially in comparative studies, generalised perceptions and preconceived opinions mean it suffers from bias. This may explain why some countries remain at the same level for years. The terms of definitions in the perceptions index also tend to have a Western bias...
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