Can fighting corruption help Arab states sell painful economic reforms?

Across the Arab world, cash-strapped governments are flying the anti-corruption flag.

Tunisia, in the midst of year-long anti-corruption campaign, passed a law in July requiring officials and members of Parliament to declare their assets.

That same month, authorities in Egypt arrested the head of the country’s customs authority for taking bribes.

And in Jordan, the government seized on the production and smuggling of counterfeit name-brand cigarettes to launch its own anti-corruption campaign. King Abdullah even issued a rare address to the Jordanian cabinet declaring “we will break the back of corruption.”

“No-one is above the law, no matter who he or she is,” the king told the ministers, adding, “The message to all is that this is a red line.”

So what is going on?

Ask Jordanian Mohammed Hussein, owner of an Amman sweets shop who is $5,000 in debt and unable to meet this

Perceptions matterLack of trust'Selective' approachWeak institutions