Building trust in public institutions? good governance and anti-corruption in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Abstract

Ten years after Dayton corruption and good governance rather than ethnic nationalism are widely alleged to be the central problems facing international attempts to construct capable and legitimate Bosnian state institutions. Political corruption substitutes private interests for public interests and in so doing undermines trust in public institutions, which depends on the fair and equal treatment of all citizens. In prioritizing anti-corruption and good governance initiatives, the international administration in Bosnia reflects an increasing international focus on these aspects as crucial to state-building initiatives. This paper considers the anti-corruption policies developed in the past decade and assesses the extent to which anti-corruption and good governance practices, developed by Bosnia's international administrators, have, in fact, rebuilt trust in Bosnia's public institutions.