Countermeasures against corruption, to address specific issues, can be incorporated by design in every dimension of governance.
These include using appropriate accounting methods: detailed financial accounting and auditing make it difficult to conceal corruption, particularly if the transactions are computerised.
Also, competition can prevent corruption: if one provider demands a bribe, the services can be bought from a different provider.
If people were brought up to believe that any form of dishonesty, including corruption, is wrong there would be less of a problem. It is certainly much more difficult to combat corruption in cultures where it is seen as normal behaviour. It is not easy to quickly change a culture, but even in environments where corruption is endemic, individuals and businesses can stand against it and set examples to others by refusing to pay bribes. There are prominent examples of this stance being adopted, such as Tata’s ‘Code of Conduct’. This might not be immediately effective as a countermeasure, but a consistent policy of refusal to pay can eventually lead to a reduction in the demands.
The Guardian article, How the UK can learn from India's Right to Information Act, described how India's legislation on the Right to Information enables people to demand records of payments so that politicians and officials can be audited.
The UK has made it obligatory to record political donations, so that people can see from where politicians have received funding and can then see whether the donors have received inappropriate benefits. This law increases transparency, but it can be very hard to prove that there has been corruption – even when attention is drawn to possible cases. For example, as reported in the BBC article Blair apologises for mishandling F1 row, Bernie Ecclestone’s donation to the UK Labour government was followed by a controversial decision to allow tobacco advertising in Formula One racing – despite it being banned from all other sporting venues. No-one was prosecuted.
The practice of ‘whistle-blowing’ – making complaints to the authorities – can result in prosecutions of criminals.
Police corruption can be challenged in the courts, if the judiciary is independent from them (5.2.8) and if the judiciary cannot be bribed. Free and fair courts are an effective remedy against corruption.
Investigative journalism is helping to uncover corruption and the growth of Internet use amplifies people’s awareness. A Reuters report, Malaysia opposition win shows power of cyberspace, described how voters opposed to the ruling National Front “furiously clicked on YouTube and posted comments with popular bloggers about tales of sex, lies and videotapes in the run-up to Saturday’s election”.
Technology has made it progressively easier to avoid using cash and even to bypass direct human interaction. A clerk might demand a bribe before issuing a railway ticket, but computerised self-service removes any opportunity for corruption.
Deregulation can be a help. If there is no need to have a licence before setting up a business, for example, then there is no opportunity to demand a bribe before that licence is granted.
(This is an archive of a page intended to form part of Edition 4 of the Patterns of Power series of books. The latest versions are at book contents).