Corruption rankings are one of the great deceptions of our era

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David Cameron’s microphone gaffe, during which he accused Afghanistan and Nigeria of being “fantastically corrupt” in front of the Queen, led many in the media to rehearse old arguments about corruption being practically endemic in poor countries. In the words ofthe UK’s foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, the prime minister had “merely been stating a fact”. But are these facts? The reality deserves more discussion.