Message-ID: <v01550100af342d353d15@[207.38.252.133]> Date: Sat, 22 Feb 1997 00:57:53 -0500 From: Max Freund <mailto:mfreund@INTERPORT.NET> Subject: Re: corruption To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
I'd like to add my comments to those of David and Eberhard, and say that although it may sound contradictory, I agree with both of you. I think it's possible to understand the roots of a problem -- including its political and ethical contradictions -- without either blindly sanctioning or condemning it.In the case of corruption, it *is* a means of redistributing wealth, however crude and inequitable. It's true that it's somewhat graduated, but like most forms of "taxation" both formal and informal, it's still extremely regressive. And the people who both pay and get the *big* bribes, like Raul Salinas and General Gutierrez, do it for the old-fashioned reasons of greed and back-scratching among elites, not out of a sense of necessity or justice.
On the other hand, lower-level police and other government officials in developing countries often solicit bribes not because they want to enrich themselves, but because they are usually paid inadequate wages (when they're lucky enough to be paid at all), and bribes are a perk that goes along with a government job. But in those cases, it's usually a transaction from the poor to the poor -- not the kind of just redistribution of wealth Eberhard and JC were talking about.
At the same time, most developing countries simply don't have the same level of professionalism that we have in the civil service here. That's not to discount certain individuals' dedication to their jobs, but it's usually the prevailing situation in those societies. There are many reasons for this, including the fact that there is generally not a strong civil society (such as independent watchdog and advocacy groups) or legal framework in place to provide checks and accountability to abuse of power. As David pointed out, in cultures where the rule of law and government accountability -- or even the idea that one has rights, including the right to receive a public service without paying a bribe -- are not universally recognized principles, people simply don't question practices like propinas in Mexico or baksheesh in India; it's just the way you do business. And of course, in places where power comes from the barrel of a policeman's gun, it would be downright stupid for people -- especially the poor, at whom the gun is usually pointed -- to question it.
So why is all this? Well, the roots go back to the very nature and origins of underdevelopment. I won't even try to explain that, since whole books have been written on it and the circumstances vary widely among regions and countries. But the issues include: colonialism (both historical and neo-), racial and ethnic discrimination and exploitation (again, both colonial and indigenous), economic polarization and classism, authoritarian political systems, government fiscal crises, and external debt and dependency. They're all inter-related and mutually reinforcing.
All of us in the First World are the beneficiaries of this situation, whether we like it or not. At the same time, to the extent that corruption reaches to the foundation of both our society here and those of developing countries, we're all its victims as well.
Now that I've unraveled the world's problems, I think I'm going to go to bed. (I'll leave the solutions to another day...) It's not snowing here, but I also just came back from a vacation in Mexico a couple of days ago, and I'd much rather be back there than here in New York City.
Later all.
--Max
>I was not surprised that there was corruption in Mexico. As
>various responders have pointed out. there is corruption everywhere. What
>surprised me was how widespread and open it is and how far down into
>society it reaches.
> I am surprised at the responses to the posting whose authors seem
>to feel that bribes in third world countries are not all that bad but,
>only another form of taxation which is actually a good way to tax
>foreigners and the wealthy and therefore ease the burden on the poor.
> The big difference between bribery and taxation is, of course,
>that the bribe goes into the pockets of the corrupt person. This person
>not only steals from me, he steals from his government who gets nothing
>out of the transaction.
> I feel that it is acceptable to denounce practices in whatever
>country they exist without having to feel that you also have to denounce
>various similiar practices in other countries thereby diluting the
>original criticism.
> There are plenty of people denouncing corruption in the American
>political system and I share their views. I just don't feel under any
>obligation to bring it up whenever other matters are being discussed.
> If a thing is wrong, it is wrong and the fact that others do it
>as well doesn't change that.
> Actually, what is really wrong is that it is snowing and I'm
>cooped up in the house all day. Dave Johnson