of accountability. This means that officials will have the opportunity to collect corrupt benefits as a function of their degree of monopoly how much. and the degree to which their activities are accounaeox over a service or activity, their discretion in deciding who should Accountability then becomes one of the key issues of international discourse, as well as the ultimate goal of international cooperation. Large scale corruption may be transnational. Even when a large scale fraud is perpetrated entirely within one country, the necessity to transfer funds overseas introduces an international element. The danger posed by corruption are magnified and exacerbated by its reciprocal relationship with organized transnational crime. In a world that is constantl changing and becoming more interdependent, the long-term consequences of that relationship merit attention and action. Organized criminal groups have demonstrated their preference towards sy stemic corruption designed to ensure the preservation of a congenial and low-risk home base or a comfortable environment in host countries. Such a method of operation may be characterized by widespread use of bribery and favours to the malleability of key positions and agencies; political funding to ensure that politicians elected to office will be indebted to the criminal organizations; carefully targeted"payoffs to law enforcement personnel to provide intelligence; and the provision of financial incentives to members of the judiciary to ensure that the penalties for criminal activities are either not imposed or are modest. Indeed, systemic corruption is one of the ways in which criminal organizations develop a symbiotic relationship with the State. a growing awareness that corruption is a serious problem has galvanized support for an international and coordinated fight against it. In spite of this awareness, corruption remains a highly complex phenomenon. Conceptually, it is generally agreed that at the core of the problem lies some form of abuse of power a generic conceptualization could be the abuse of public office for direct or indirect personal gain. Indirect personal gain would include benefits that someone secures improperly for his or her organization (for example, a company, a politica af party or a non-profit organization). Given the need for a common understanding of what is at stake and what kind of practices are to be eradicated, it is worthwhile to list several specific questionable or illegal acts that are criminalized in various States. The list is, of course not exhaustive This empirical approach towards corrupt practices would avoid culture-bound conceptions, thereby enhancing consensus-building andof accountability. This means that officials will have the opportunity to collect corrupt benefits as a function of their degree of monopoly over a service or activity, their discretion in deciding who should get how much, and the degree to which their activities are accountable. Accountability then becomes one of the key issues of international discourse, as well as the ultimate goal of international cooperation. Large scale corruption may be transnational. Even when a large scale fraud is perpetrated entirely within one country, the necessity to transfer funds overseas introduces an international element. The danger posed by corruption are magnified and exacerbated by its reciprocal relationship with organized transnational crime. In a world that is constantly changing and becoming more interdependent, the long-term consequences of that relationship merit attention and action. Organized criminal groups have demonstrated their preference towards "systemic" corruption designed to ensure the preservation of a congenial and low-risk home base or a comfortable environment in host countries. Such a method of operation may be characterized by widespread use of bribery and favours to ensure the malleability of key positions and agencies; political funding to ensure that politicians elected to office will be indebted to the criminal organizations; carefully targeted "payoffs" to law enforcement personnel to provide intelligence; and the provision of financial incentives to members of the judiciary to ensure that the penalties for criminal activities are either not imposed or are modest. Indeed, systemic corruption is one of the ways in which criminal organizations develop a symbiotic relationship with the State. A growing awareness that corruption is a serious problem has galvanized support for an international and coordinated fight against it. In spite of this awareness, corruption remains a highly complex phenomenon. Conceptually, it is generally agreed that at the core of the problem lies some form of abuse of power. A generic conceptualization could be the abuse of public office for direct or indirect personal gain. Indirect personal gain would include benefits that someone secures improperly for his or her organization (for example, a company, a political party or a non-profit organization). Given the need for a common understanding of what is at stake and what kind of practices are to be eradicated, it is worthwhile to list several specific questionable or illegal acts that are criminalized in various States. The list is, of course, not exhaustive. This empirical approach towards corrupt practices would avoid culture-bound conceptions, thereby enhancing consensus-building and