Word: bribe
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...program in India, sponsored by the good-governance group, 5th Pillar, offers an innovative new way of fighting this scourge—through individual acts of resistance. 5th Pillar is creating and distributing “zero-rupee notes” to citizens across India; when asked for a bribe, individuals hand over a zero-rupee note instead. This efficient and cheap initiative has already met considerable success in fighting bribery. Further anti-corruption efforts in the developing world should emulate the zero-rupee note’s strategy of addressing the social norms underlying corruption; such efforts will...
...zero-rupee note attacks this social problem through social, rather than political, means. Various news sources have reported that officials are often shocked and shamed when given the note and quickly perform the necessary service without a bribe. One man who was overcharged for a car-parking fine, Ashok Jain of Chennai, immediately shamed the attending policemen into charging him the correct fee by handing them a zero rupee note, and an old lady who had been fighting for a land title for years gave the note to a local official and finally received the document after over a year...
...jure process no longer has any real claim on the behavior of the agents of the state, who are following a different de facto set of procedures” that have basically institutionalized corruption. Even new elected officials or new laws will not change the expectation that a bribe needs to be paid to get something done...
...small, symbolic act of refusing to bribe in the same manner as thousands of other people has emboldened many individuals in India and thus anti-corruption advocates throughout the developing world. Whether taking the form of a zero-currency note or uniforms without bribe-holding pockets, innovative measures to reduce corruption can remove some of the final shackles that are holding back the growth of developing countries. As the zero-rupee note program shows, a devoted group of individuals with creative ideas does not need a large budget or major political supporters to change the economic culture of a country...
...about the NATO mission. Operation Moshtarak, this spring's offensive led by U.S. troops, has helped buck up spirits but misgivings remain. Prime Minister Gordon Brown denied that the decision made at a January summit in London - to offer cash to insurgents to lay down arms - amounted to a bribe. But the idea is a hard sell to soldiers who saw colleagues killed providing security last year for presidential elections stained by fraud and intimidation. Another key task, training the Afghan army and police to take over from coalition forces - the only plausible exit strategy for the coalition - is fraught...