Good governance in context: Learning from anti-corruption policies of Finland and Singapore

Good governance has become a prominent topic on the development agendas of national governments, regional institutions and international organisations. There is common understanding that it is an imperative for development. This article discusses two success stories, those of Finland and Singapore, and their road to good governance. The analysis shows that historical, cultural and structural contexts have a major effect on the success of anti-corruption policy. Finland is clearly an evolutionary case with a low-profile good governance policy, whereas Singapore is a revolutionary case with an array of institutionalised anticorruption measures. This implies that there is no universal recipe for success in curbing corruption, but rather processes which may vary considerably and yet be equally successful. The cases of Finland and Singapore may be an important source of inspiration and policy-relevant information, but anti-corruption policy and measures as such must be created taking due account of local history and culture