National Integrity Study

The National Integrity System of Hungary:
An In-Depth Study of Corruption Risks, Transparency and Accountability using Transparency International’s comparative methodology

Concept Note

Transparency International Hungary Foundation

Concept

The concept of the National Integrity System (NIS) has been developed and promoted by TI as part of its holistic approach to countering corruption. While there is no blueprint for an effective system to prevent corruption, there is a growing international consensus as to the salient features of anti-corruption systems that work best.

The NIS consists of the key institutions, laws and practices that contribute to integrity, transparency and accountability in a society. When it functions properly, the NIS combats corruption as part of the larger struggle against abuse of power, malfeasance, and misappropriation in all its forms. The main ‘pillars’ of the NIS are considered to be the following:

· Executive · Legislature · Political Parties · Electoral Commissions · Supreme Audit Institution · Judiciary · Police and Prosecutors · Civil service

· Public Procurement · Ombudsman · Anti-corruption agencies · Media · Civil Society · Private Sector · Regional and Local Government · International Institutions

Uniquely, a NIS study assesses not only relevant legislation and formal institutions in relation to each of the ‘pillars’, but also how laws are implemented and institutions function in practice. As such, it provides a comprehensive and yet detailed analysis of both the extent and causes of corruption in a given national context, and the adequacy and effectiveness of national anti-corruption efforts. NIS country studies do not investigate or expose specific cases of corruption not yet in the public domain, and therefore they subscribe to TI's policy of 'not naming names'. But by diagnosing the strengths and weaknesses of a particular integrity system, a NIS study provides essential information for anti-corruption advocacy and reform efforts.

In the region, NIS Country Studies have been compiled on a number of countries in South Eastern Europe, such as Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Romania, and Bulgaria. Hungary and the other Visegrad countries have never been subject to a systematic study using TI’s NIS methodology. An in-depth analysis of corruption risks, institutional strengths and weaknesses in Hungary is thus a pioneering enterprise for East Central Europe.