Today’s New York Times had a great article about new efforts to expose bribery in developing countries. All it takes is a little exposure.
People sometimes justify bribes by dismissing them as gifts or tips. It’s part of the culture, they say. I was a waitress for a while in college, and I can assure you that tips are different. For example, I don’t see someone in a motor vehicle office in Mumbai putting together a site to expose those who don’t pay up. So don’t fall for that line.
I live in Chicago. Despite the city’s reputation, exchanges of favors and bribes are not exactly rampant, but they do happen. The problem here is that people are often proud of their ability to circumvent official channels in order to get things done. As long as that’s the case, we’ll have a problem here.
