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One in four worldwide pays bribes: study

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posted on Dec, 10 2010 @ 06:03 AM
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One in four worldwide pays bribes: study


www.rawstory.com

BERLIN — One person in four worldwide paid a bribe during the past year, according to a study released Thursday to mark International Anti-Corruption Day.

The study, by the Berlin-based non-governmental agency Transparency International, focuses on small-scale bribery and was put together from polls conducted among more than 91,000 people in 86 countries and territories.

(visit the link for the full news article)



posted on Dec, 10 2010 @ 06:03 AM
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In the past 12 months, one in four paid a bribe to one of nine institutions, such as health, education or tax authorities, according to the 2010 Global Corruption Barometer.

But it was the police who proved most corrupt, according to the study which reported that 29 percent of those having dealings with police said they had paid a bribe.


I believe that this is an inherent problem when we delegate authority over ourselves to others. Granted, this appears to be a problem mainly centering in the Third World, though a problem it still is. This just underscores the notion that human beings are fallable, thus when we give another human being authority over our lives, we can pretty much be assured that our own best interests will almost always come only after the best interests of those with the authority.

Sure, if you live in the UK, US or Canada, you aren't likely to fork over bribes to the police, but those who we delegate authority over ourselves, will almost always consider their own best interest, over yours. So why on Earth would we delegate this authority over ourselves?

Hiring someone to protect your interests, is much different than hiring someone to take authority over your life. I believe that it is in this idea that we have gone very wrong. This is the fork in the road where our society took a turn for the worse and this latest study underscores this trajectory, as it is a microcosm of the bigger picture.

The difference between hiring someone to protect your interests and hiring someone to take authority over yourself, is that in the former, we retain that authority and in the latter we obviously cede that authority.

While in the US, UK, Canada and other parts of the developed world we may not get shaken down by the police, we are still shaken down by the authorties. It's a given, when you cede authority over yourself to someone else, you will be shaken down and sometimes it is a systimic shake-down.



--airspoon

www.rawstory.com
(visit the link for the full news article)



posted on Dec, 10 2010 @ 06:24 AM
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reply to post by airspoon
 


This was an interesting study done albeit only 90 thousand people i think participated but it had interesting results,

Although people in third world country's might be more open to disclosing bribes as it is common practice but rest assured bribes do take place in the leading nations also, it's just instead of 10 bucks to get the first pick of the blah or for blah it's 180million for contracts ect or 40million to bribe FIFA or even as simple as the express box on a form for processing say a passport you pay 200 to get it in a month or you bribe them and pay 300 and it will be back in a week so bribes are everywhere you go no-mater how poor or wealthy they may be



posted on Dec, 10 2010 @ 07:08 AM
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Hmm... Interesting though the numbers seem bit inflated on the number of people paying bribes.. Its a vanishing practice in these parts.. Try to bribe the police or officials and most likely you end up in prison.. Unlike years ago when it was quite common..



posted on Dec, 10 2010 @ 07:16 AM
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Here's a related article on this topic:


Corruption Rises Over 3 Years, More People Paid Bribes

Corruption increased globally over the last three years as more people paid bribes in countries across the world, according to a Transparency International survey.

A quarter of 91,500 people surveyed reported paying a bribe to an institution or for services from health to education to tax authorities in the last year, Berlin-based Transparency said in the 2010 Global Corruption Barometer report on its website.

Some 60 percent of people believe corruption has risen since 2007, according to the report, which covered respondents from 86 countries and territories.

“Corruption is insidious,” Huguette Labelle, chairwoman of the monitor group, said in the report. “The good news is that people are ready to act.”



The press release from the organization who compiled the data..


www.transparency.org

...“The results of this year’s CPI show again that corruption is a global problem that must be addressed in global policy reforms. It is commendable that the Group of 20 in pursuing financial reform has made strong commitments to transparency and integrity ahead of their November summit in Seoul,” said Labelle. “But the process of reform itself must be accelerated.”

TI calls on the G20 to mandate greater government oversight and public transparency in all measures they take to reduce systemic risks and opportunities for corruption and fraud in the public as well as in the private sector.

The message is clear: across the globe, transparency and accountability are critical to restoring trust and turning back the tide of corruption. Without them, global policy solutions to many global crises are at risk...


Why do I cringe when I see global policy reform and G20 in the same paragraph?



posted on Dec, 10 2010 @ 07:47 AM
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On the topic of bribery here is a pretty big one
www.abovetopsecret.com...
Halliburton may pay $500 million to keep Cheney out of prison



posted on Dec, 10 2010 @ 07:50 AM
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reply to post by JacKatMtn
 



Why do I cringe when I see global policy reform and G20 in the same paragraph?


I'm with you on that one. I myself get suspicious whenever the world's elite get together to discuss anything, as freedom, liberty and/or justice is usually the cost of whatever "reform" they are mulling over.


--airspoon



posted on Dec, 10 2010 @ 07:55 AM
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reply to post by airspoon
 


Agreed... if the govt' pulls this kind of palmgreasing it's called taxes... and supposedly legal and for the common good...


anyone else who does similar, it's called a crime..

Never heard of this group Transparency... looks like a lobbying group, in cahoots with the global gov'ts? Might have to dig deeper into that organization, and see what pops up.. like who started it, who are the major players, do any of them have ties to the gov't?



posted on Dec, 10 2010 @ 08:04 AM
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here's the beginning of the search...


www.transparency.org

...How is TI financed?
TI values its independence very highly, and we maintain it through the transparency of our funding and the diversity of our sources. The bulk of TI's income comes from government development agency budgets and foundations. Other sources of income include project funds from international organisations, donations from private sector companies and income from honoraria and publications. By not relying on just one source, TI is able to maintain its independence. In order to guarantee financial independence, TI is planning to set up an endowment fund. TI's National Chapters are financed independently from the international TI movement. This means that, with few and strictly limited exceptions, TI neither contributes to the budgets of its National Chapters, nor is it funded by them. Sources of income of National Chapters include membership fees, donations from individuals and corporations, court-imposed fines and project funds from donor agencies and governments...




www.transparency.org

...Transparency International is a global network including more than 90 locally established national chapters and chapters-in-formation. These bodies fight corruption in the national arena in a number of ways. They bring together relevant players from government, civil society, business and the media to promote transparency in elections, in public administration, in procurement and in business. TI’s global network of chapters and contacts also use advocacy campaigns to lobby governments to implement anti-corruption reforms.

Politically non-partisan, TI does not undertake investigations of alleged corruption or expose individual cases, but at times will work in coalition with organisations that do...



posted on Dec, 10 2010 @ 08:14 AM
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1 in 4? Um... what do you people think taxes are?



posted on Dec, 10 2010 @ 08:58 AM
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On in four pay bribes AND extortion payments.
The rest just pay the extortion payment (taxation under threat of imprisonment).




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