http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/i...P39045120081217


Singapore is the clear leader in the region according to all surveys. At the opposite end of the scale, Myanmar is among the world's most corrupt countries -- of 180 nations ranked by Transparency International, only Somalia rates worse.

Of the emerging economies that most interest investors, Malaysia has a clear advantage -- the World Bank indicators gave it a 2007 score of 62.3, above Thailand on 44.0, Vietnam on 28.0, Indonesia on 27.1 and the Philippines on 22.2. Transparency International's CPI ranks the countries in the same order.

Economists say a host of data supports the theory there is a "development dividend" for countries that tackle corruption.

"We estimate that a country that improves its governance from a relatively low level to an average level could almost triple the income per capita of its population in the long term, and similarly reduce infant mortality and illiteracy," Kaufmann said.


Indonesia ranked among the world's most corrupt nations five years ago but now outperforms the Philippines in most rankings -- a major step forward given the importance of country comparisons in influencing investment decisions.




Singapore

Malaysia 62.3

Thailand 44.0

Vietnam 28.0
Indonesia 27.1
Philippines 22.2

Myanmar

Somalia (in Africa, not in South East Asia)

The Philippines never had serious problems before Marcos came to power. The dictator had totally devastated the country. A lot of things had to be fixed. Now it's slowly picking up. A little more time and we'll be better.

silangan


Please kindly keep us updated regarding the situation in Philippines. Thank you.

Doesn't Singapore have that banking fraud I think it's call offshore accounts.
Isn't that considered corruption?

doesn't sound credible enough. Where did they get data regarding corruptions in Burma since that isolated country is largely inaccessible even for World Bank.