Not as Easy as it Sounds? Delivering the National Integrity System Approach in Practice – the Case Study of the National Anti-Corruption Programme in Lithuania

The article takes forward some of the issues deriving from the Transparency International concept of the National Integrity System [NIS]. The NIS is a framework approach developed by Jeremy Pope when he was with TI that proposes assessing corruption and reform holistically. The NIS not only looks at separate institutions, or separate areas of activity, or separate rules and practices, but also bases its perspective on institutional and other inter-relationships, inter-dependence and combined effectiveness. It provides a framework for the development of comprehensive country-wide anti-corruption plans.

This article assesses the NIS approach in the light of the main themes raised by two research studies into the NIS in practice – one funded by the Dutch Government and the other by the UK Department for International Development – in some 40 countries, involving 18 countries, including transitional countries.

One such country – Lithuania – is used to illustrate the NIS in practice and, in particular, issues concerning the delivery of an NIS in practice. The implementation of the Lithuanian anticorruption programme is used to assess how easy or difficult it is both to deliver a comprehensive reform process that reflects the purpose of an NIS in practice and to implement its core components. Such issues should inform the nature of the support provided by donor agencies and also what expectations other transnational agencies may have of transitional countries as they seek to implement an appropriate and integrated framework to address corruption. Overall, the use of the NIS is seen as a useful framework within which to assess corruption and deliver reform. Seeking to implement a comprehensive programme without the use of such a methodology or framework does create issues of effective implementation.