Corruption as a Governance Challenge and the Role of Civil Society

A first step towards a sustainable anti-corruption policy is to view corrupt practices assymptoms of a deeper problem in the relationship between state and society in general and in thefunction of democratic institutions in particular. These considerations bring us closer toconceptualising an anti-corruption strategy as an axis of a systematic reform policy towards socialaccountability. To implement effective strategies we need to pursue a more focused anti-corruptionpolicies and to get away from a conventional minimalist approach of combating the phenomenon,mainly by choosing broader perspectives with the emphasis on accountability and the role of civilsociety in the consolidation of good governance. In this context, anti-corruption policy is a policyof accountability towards protecting human rights and in relation to any kind of development. Accountability supports good governance as is a co-creator of the active citizens' participation in a(transparent) decision making process