Robust Democracy: Rule of Law - Corruption Prevention. To what extent are public officeholders prevented from abusing their position for private interests? This question addresses how the state and society prevent public servants and politicians from accepting bribes by applying mechanisms to guarantee the integrity of officeholders: auditing of state spending; regulation of party financing; citizen and media access to information; accountability of officeholders (asset declarations, conflict of interest rules, codes of conduct); transparent public procurement systems; effective prosecution of corruption. (1, 2): Public officeholders can exploit their offices for private gain as they see fit without fear of legal consequences or adverse publicity. (3, 4, 5): Some integrity mechanisms function, but do not effectively prevent public officeholders from abusing their positions. (6, 7, 8): Most integrity mechanisms function effectively and provide disincentives for public officeholders willing to abuse their positions. (9, 10): Legal, political and public integrity mechanisms effectively prevent public officeholders from abusing their positions.