Worldwide, the construction sector is regularly rated as the most corrupt industry. Even so, the scale and effects of this corruption are frequently underestimated. The 2005 edition of Transparency International's Global Corruption Report shows that corruption in the construction industry has the power to shape and devastate economies. It has the power to ruin livelihoods and, under certain circumstances, to take lives.

This book outlines the particular characteristics of the construction industry that enable the corrupt to plunder the vast amounts of international funds that pour into large-scale infrastructure projects. Whether through international bribes paid to secure contracts for the Lesotho Dam, or the politicians implicated in the purchase of a waste incinerator in Cologne, the report reveals how corruption steers money away from essential services and development projects. In a special section dedicated to post-conflict reconstruction, the report shows how, from Angola to Iraq, the corrupt prey on the most vulnerable.

The Global Corruption Report 2005 also shows that no matter how entrenched corruption seems, it can be beaten. Along with presenting measures specifically tailored to curbing bribery in construction, the report uncovers major trends in anti-corruption legislation and reforms in more than 40 countries. The book also offers the latest corruption research, including studies on the links between corruption and, in turn, issues such as pollution, gender and foreign investment.