background & rationale/nis/policy

background & rationale

It has become recognised that corruption is rarely an isolated phenomenon found only within a specific institution, sector or group of actors. Rather, it is usually of a systemic nature, and therefore fighting it also requires a holistic and systemic strategy. In turn, a successful anti-corruption strategy is premised on the involvement of multiple stakeholders, including government, civil society, and other governance actors, since it requires both, supply-side political will as well as demand-side civic pressure for greater transparency and accountability. Here, Transparency International’s NIS assessment tool, which combines evidence-based advocacy with a participatory multi-stakeholder approach, presents a unique contribution to the field.

The NIS assessment approach is targeted towards country-level civil society organisations, which work in the field of anti-corruption and good governance. It can be a relevant tool in a variety of contexts and for a wide range of purposes, such as:

Advocacy & Policy Reform: The most common ultimate aim of conducting an NIS assessment is to gather evidence which can be used for specific advocacy and policy reform initiatives. NIS findings point to specific weaknesses in the integrity system, and thereby assist in prioritizing advocacy and policy interventions. They also offer important positive lessons for policy reform by highlighting best practices. In order to ensure an effective link between assessment and policy reform, the NIS assessment embraces a participatory approach, providing opportunities for stakeholder input and engagement throughout the project.

Monitoring & Comparing: The information generated by the NIS assessment provides benchmarks for measuring further developments in-country and a basis for comparison among the NIS components. A look at the NIS indicators provides a quick indication of which areas possess high integrity and which are lagging behind. Comparing weak to strong areas will help generate competition for improvement and will provide incentives for positive change. If undertaken iteratively over time, the NIS assessment can be used as a monitoring tool to evaluate overall progress or regress of the entire integrity system as well as individual institutions, thereby offering useful information for advocacy efforts.

Planning: Due to its holistic and comprehensive nature, the NIS can serve as a useful planning tool for future work of an organisation. It detects priority areas for reform, cross-cutting problems, as well as helps to identify potential partners.

Building Coalitions: Due to its focus on wide consultation and debate, the NIS assessment can help a National Chapter to build its public profile and identify potential partners for advocacy campaigns and other follow-up activities.

Guide to More Specific Research: The NIS assessment provides a comprehensive overview of the functioning of the main governance institutions in a country. It is particularly useful to obtain a first holistic picture of the entire governance system, rather than an in-depth treatment of a specific institution. However, if a certain institution emerges as being particularly problematic in terms of its role in the integrity system, further, more detailed research work on this institution might be indicated.

NIS country assessments are unique in the anti-corruption field, with more than 70 such studies conducted since 2001 - many of which have contributed to civic advocacy campaigns, policy reform initiatives, and the overall awareness of the country’s governance deficits. In 2008, a number of refinements and revisions in the NIS assessment approach have been undertaken, which promise to make the tool even more relevant for independent governance and anti-corruption advocacy and reform initiatives. To find out more about the ongoing NIS assessments, contact TI at nis@transparency.org.