An organization called Transparency International publishes an annual survey in which they rank about 180 countries according to the perceived level of public sector corruption. Despite those who falsely believe the United States is the paradigm of a transparent democracy, in 2023 we were tied with Barbados for 24th place. Most of the top 20 places were occupied by countries in Europe but New Zealand, Australia and Singapore were also in that mix. One would hope the United States would aspire to at least make the top twenty at some point, but I fear we are soon headed in the other direction.
Just for context, the darling of the MAGA right, Hungary, under the authoritarian rule of one of Trump’s buddies, Viktor Orban, is in 76th place. In all likelihood, it is only that high because of some rules and scrutiny imposed upon it because of membership in NATO and the EU. Russia, under Trump’s apparent idol, Vladimir Putin, is ranked 141st. These are the leaders Trump aspires to emulate. One can only assume the United States’ place on the Corruption Perception Index will be headed down instead of up. That certainly bodes well for Trump’s circus of oligarchs but not so well for the American public as a whole.
Trump’s love of tariffs and the threats he is making that would adversely affect US companies is a system that is ripe for graft and corruption. As I have stated previously, companies the curry favor with Trump and his toadies, will most likely be able to get exceptions to tariffs whereas companies that refuse to play ball with the new administration will find themselves with a Trump financial albatross around their necks. This has corruption written all over it.
There is also something called the World Happiness Report which looks at the general satisfaction and well-being of citizens in over 140 countries. In the latest report, the United States ranked 25th. Hungary and Russia, who Trump and many of his sycophants would like to emulate, rank 56th and 72nd, respectively. I should also point out that all three countries dropped from their rankings in the previous report.
It is certainly true that such metrics are subjective. However, even so, they can be used as macro indications of where things stand and if looked at over time provide some insight into whether or not life in countries is improving for the populations as a whole or not. An ideal country would have a very low Corruption Perception Index and a very high Happiness Index. Right now, the northern European countries such as Finland and Iceland set the bar.
It will be interesting (and probably depressing) to follow these two indices during the Trump administration. If Trump’s initial rhetoric and ridiculously unqualified cabinet picks are any indication, I would be willing to bet large sums of money that over the next four years the Corruption Perception Index for the United States will increase significantly and the Happiness Index will plummet. I’d like to think I’m wrong, but there is no evidence at this point to doubt my belief. The rich will get richer. The American populace in general will suffer in various ways from adverse impacts to their finances, their healthcare, and the education for their children.
A leader and his team who truly cared about the people would be asking questions and taking actions with the objective of moving up the rankings on these two indices, however subjective they might be. Trump, on the other hand, aspires to emulate leaders who are continually dragging their countries further down these rankings. That should be no surprise. Trump is, after all, an easily manipulated follower. He sure as hell isn’t a leader and we are all about to pay a very high price.
