Transparency International2019-09-252019-09-252011-04-0420091998-6432http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12424/177449The need to clean-up political finance Public trust in democratic institutions has been eroded as scandal after scandal has revealed politicians sharing the spoils of power with their financial backers. Political parties are widely perceived to be the single most corrupt domestic institution, followed by the civil service and parliaments, according to Transparency International's Global Corruption Barometer (2009).1 Faced with evidence of voter concern about the way electoral politics is financed, governments have begun to take steps to regulate political party and campaign financing. Many have introduced laws on disclosure of finances; requiring parties and candidates to report on the donations received, including the origin of the donation, the amount and party expenditure.2 Other governments have banned certain types of donation considered to be more prone to corruption, such as donations from large corporations. Another route has been to reduce the need for money by providing state subsidies, shortening campaigns, providing subsidised access to the media or curbing the amounts that parties may spend legally."engWith permission of the license/copyright holdersocial policyprofessional ethicsPolitical ethicsPeace ethicsGovernance and ethicsJournal