Thanks a lot for this insightful piece on
combating the malignant social and economic malfunction called corruption
Broadly, there are three policy proposals
on curbing corruption: lawyers approach, the businessman’s approach and the
economists approach. These consist respectively in producing tougher new laws,
tougher enforcement of existing laws and increasing the level of competition in
the economy, both among firms and bureaucrats.
Singapore and Hong Kong are some of the least
corrupt countries on the world are successful applications of lawyers approach –
they have draconian laws on corruption; they also pay their bureaucrats
exceptionally well but the level of political competition on this e countries
is extremely low; this has allowed exception level of pay in the bureaucracy
without too much political completion.
I will borrow example from one country
in East Africa-Kenya; this is my country of birth.
The Kenya Civil service is among the
highly paid; this was strategic to attract and retain and high performing from the
private sector’s ; it started with an elite Dream Team crafted by the former
president in late 90s to turn around the Kenyan economy; vision 2030 secretariat
and et al.
Yes, the work by Rijckeghem and Weder
(2001) that there is an inverse relationship between the level of public sector
wages and the incidence of corruption may be partially correct; it ignores the
rent seeking nature of the economic man and the politics of the country which
are central to award of civil service jobs.; what about the level of civil
liberties?
The Kenyan MP is paid over $10,000per
month excluding various unwarranted allowances like sitting allowance (being
paid to be in parliament), yet they still misuse constituency development funds,
solicit bribes to support either private or public members bill , refuse to pay
for child support?
Thus
the questions is how much of the clean record if any in Kenya/LDC can be
attributed to the policy of high wages?
The
red tape of bureaucracy is not a
choice of large institutions but product of the desire to systemize processes which
should/must outlive the officeholders/owners; and that’s why it’s easy for a small outlet in downtown
street to complete an order for emergency backup generator that for GE( Kenya)
to fix a rundown backup generator
Government are the highest rent seeking
entity in the economy; they extract income through these bureaucracies; they
also create employment otherwise every government unit/ department should be
run as a business unit able to finance its operations.
I agree these needless regulations need
to be removed but are the leaders ready to pay the political price? And as such instead of dismantling these bureaucracies
they create more efficient ‘political outfits
ie centers of excellence like Huduma Centre in Kenya; constitutionalize
various commission and authorities , merge moribund parastatals rather that privatize
them et al
Thus there’s a a correlation between the
nature Governance of a country and level of red tape.
Corruption is a social evil with
immediate economic effects but long-term damage on moral fabric of the humanity;
it eats into the family values where ones worth is measured by the size of the
wallet.
It emanates from the Id- the instinctive
nature of the being, the self, the selfish, the animal desire to fulfill
immediate aggressions which matures into fully grow untamed ego.
It’s also fueled by the capitalism which
advocates completion, privatization and wealth accumulation.
To address corruptions we need a bottom
up approach
1.
Disband Anti-corruption
agency- this agency serves the master.
2.
Set up a Whistle
blowing agency whose sole mandate is educate the citizenry on corruption
3.
Make corruption a
subject/ topic in basic education.
4.
Personalize
corruption; carry out national wide HIV like campaign and sensationalize and
sensitive citizens on evils/benefits of corruption.
5.
Set an
alternative form of Social justice dedicated to corruption like the Rwanda’s
Gecaca system.
