13 Jun, 2008
Tina Edwin
The Economic Times Bureau (India)
NEW DELHI: In Cambodia, a survey found that 89% of encounters with traffic police resulted in a bribe. The average bribe from a household was around $9.
A study in Bangladesh of 3,000 households shows that 97% of household that bought land had to pay bribes for land registration . So had 88% of the households who mutated their land ownership, 85% who collected land related documents, and so on.
A survey of Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka found that health workers often demand bribes for admission to hospital , to provide bed or to give subsidised medicines. In one Indian city, a social audit revealed more than half the respondent had to pay bribes in government hospitals.
In a survey in Rajasthan, nurses were to be found in their posts in villages only 12% of the time. Rates of absenteeism are also typically higher in rural areas, not only because of the lack of supervision but also because staff find it more difficult to get to work or are discouraged by the prospect of using clinics that lack equipment or drugs or are in poor state of repairs.
In China, in 2003 audits of nearly 3,000 primary and 1,500 secondary schools in Jiangxi found 125 cases of illegally collected fees worth $2 million. Nationwide the government uncovered over $20 million in illegally collected school fees.
In Indonesia, less than a fourth of total logging operations, estimated at $6.6 billion, is legal.
THIS IS only an illustrative list of the petty corruption that affects everyday life of people living in the Asia Pacific region . And, in all these instances, it is the poor who pay a bigger price.
“The real price of corruption is not paid in currency. The true costs are eroded opportunities , increased marginalisation of the disadvantaged and feelings of injustice,” says a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report, Tackling Corruption, Transforming Lives, released on Thursday.
The report attempts to look at corruption from a human development perspective and how it undermines efforts to reduce poverty — by diverting goods and services targeted for the poor to well-off and well-connected households who can afford to bribe officials. “The poor also lose out when they have to pay bribes, since they can only afford small amount, which represent high proportion of their income.”
Although corruption can be categorised into two forms, grand and petty, the report notes that it is in the petty form larger number of people are affected. “Petty corruption can be just as, if not more, crushing as grand corruption, hitting hard especially at the poor,” it notes.
In that form, corruption involves smaller amounts but more frequent transactions: lower level public officials demanding speed money to issue licences , for example to allow full access to schools, hospitals or public utilities. “Hence calling it petty is really a misnomer.”
Tackling corruption is a responsibility that must be shared by governments, the private sector, international organisations, civil society and the media, UNDP regional programme coordinator Anuradha K Rajivan, who led the team that compiled the report, notes in the preface. “Individuals must also assert themselves as citizens and consumers. As corruption is not confined to country borders, it is necessary for solutions to be a global responsibility to be shared by multinational companies, international banks and aid agencies alike.”
Unfortunately, the myth that nothing can be done to curb corruption seems to be nearly as pervasive as corruption itself, Ms Rajivan notes. However, instances such as use digital cameras to record attendance of teachers in rural schools in Rajasthan prove otherwise — attendance of teachers improved by a third.
Overall, in the Asia Pacific region, the least trusted are the police, followed by judiciary and tax offices. The report suggest that it would be wiser to focus on a few specific areas . These could be police, social services and natural resources, from a human development perspective.
It says that countries would need to address the problem at all levels of government and private sector — reforming institutions and processes so as to reduce the opportunities for corruption while creating effective systems for detecting malpractices and punishing offenders.
It has also drawn up a seven-point agenda that countries could adopt to tackle corruption , although it says appropriate measures for a specific country would depend on national circumstances and local complexities.
Nevertheless, it states that countries in the region should — join with international efforts such as United Nations Convention Against Corruption, and the Stolen Assets Recovery Initiative; establish benchmarks of quality; strengthen the civil services; encourage codes of conduct in the private sector; establish the right to information; exploit new technology; and support citizen action.
That apart, the report cautions countries against assuming that the corruption would diminish as their economies grow. “International experience suggests otherwise,” it says.
A study in Bangladesh of 3,000 households shows that 97% of household that bought land had to pay bribes for land registration . So had 88% of the households who mutated their land ownership, 85% who collected land related documents, and so on.
A survey of Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka found that health workers often demand bribes for admission to hospital , to provide bed or to give subsidised medicines. In one Indian city, a social audit revealed more than half the respondent had to pay bribes in government hospitals.
In a survey in Rajasthan, nurses were to be found in their posts in villages only 12% of the time. Rates of absenteeism are also typically higher in rural areas, not only because of the lack of supervision but also because staff find it more difficult to get to work or are discouraged by the prospect of using clinics that lack equipment or drugs or are in poor state of repairs.
In China, in 2003 audits of nearly 3,000 primary and 1,500 secondary schools in Jiangxi found 125 cases of illegally collected fees worth $2 million. Nationwide the government uncovered over $20 million in illegally collected school fees.
In Indonesia, less than a fourth of total logging operations, estimated at $6.6 billion, is legal.
THIS IS only an illustrative list of the petty corruption that affects everyday life of people living in the Asia Pacific region . And, in all these instances, it is the poor who pay a bigger price.
“The real price of corruption is not paid in currency. The true costs are eroded opportunities , increased marginalisation of the disadvantaged and feelings of injustice,” says a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report, Tackling Corruption, Transforming Lives, released on Thursday.
The report attempts to look at corruption from a human development perspective and how it undermines efforts to reduce poverty — by diverting goods and services targeted for the poor to well-off and well-connected households who can afford to bribe officials. “The poor also lose out when they have to pay bribes, since they can only afford small amount, which represent high proportion of their income.”
Although corruption can be categorised into two forms, grand and petty, the report notes that it is in the petty form larger number of people are affected. “Petty corruption can be just as, if not more, crushing as grand corruption, hitting hard especially at the poor,” it notes.
In that form, corruption involves smaller amounts but more frequent transactions: lower level public officials demanding speed money to issue licences , for example to allow full access to schools, hospitals or public utilities. “Hence calling it petty is really a misnomer.”
Tackling corruption is a responsibility that must be shared by governments, the private sector, international organisations, civil society and the media, UNDP regional programme coordinator Anuradha K Rajivan, who led the team that compiled the report, notes in the preface. “Individuals must also assert themselves as citizens and consumers. As corruption is not confined to country borders, it is necessary for solutions to be a global responsibility to be shared by multinational companies, international banks and aid agencies alike.”
Unfortunately, the myth that nothing can be done to curb corruption seems to be nearly as pervasive as corruption itself, Ms Rajivan notes. However, instances such as use digital cameras to record attendance of teachers in rural schools in Rajasthan prove otherwise — attendance of teachers improved by a third.
Overall, in the Asia Pacific region, the least trusted are the police, followed by judiciary and tax offices. The report suggest that it would be wiser to focus on a few specific areas . These could be police, social services and natural resources, from a human development perspective.
It says that countries would need to address the problem at all levels of government and private sector — reforming institutions and processes so as to reduce the opportunities for corruption while creating effective systems for detecting malpractices and punishing offenders.
It has also drawn up a seven-point agenda that countries could adopt to tackle corruption , although it says appropriate measures for a specific country would depend on national circumstances and local complexities.
Nevertheless, it states that countries in the region should — join with international efforts such as United Nations Convention Against Corruption, and the Stolen Assets Recovery Initiative; establish benchmarks of quality; strengthen the civil services; encourage codes of conduct in the private sector; establish the right to information; exploit new technology; and support citizen action.
That apart, the report cautions countries against assuming that the corruption would diminish as their economies grow. “International experience suggests otherwise,” it says.
2 comments:
What is so wrong with paying 1/2 price to the police for a violation? Mee Jkout (Socheata) must be jealous or something.
happen in all level and people of all walks of life; how sad! i hope corruption can be minimized or eradicated with strict punitive laws. this is what cambodia needs, a strict punitive law to rid of corruption. and that takes political will and effective governance, and of course, cambodian people can always protest against gov't corruption as well.
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