A new report says Argentina made the biggest overall improvements last year in fighting corruption.
The 2010 Global Integrity Report was released Wednesday by the international nonprofit organization, Global Integrity.
The report says Argentina made gains in all integrity indicator categories and in most sub-categories. Improvements were noted in the media's ability to report on corruption, election integrity, and transparency in political financing and the budget process. The South American nation ranks second, behind South Korea and ahead of the United States, in their overall anti-corruption score between 2006 and 2010.
Peru also made notable gains. The South American nation has implemented a legal framework for accessing government information, as well as improved the media's ability to report on corruption. Other advancements include better ways of reporting internal government corruption and a more effective General Accountability Office.
Nicaragua remains on the "Watch List," indicating that the country scores "very weak" on measures such as government safeguards against conflicts of interest. It also lacks an adequate system of checks and balances, oversight of state-owned enterprises, and transparency in political financing. It has been on the Watch List since 2008.
The 2010 report gathers data from local researchers, journalists and academics on 36 countries across the world. Other Latin American countries in the report include Guatemala, Bolivia and Ecuador.