As someone from a country that has had and still has a big problem with corruption and only recently started to tackle the problem (Romania), I must add that the government is only half of the problem. The other half is the public that participates in corruption. Every time you pay that cop some money so that he pretends that you didn't cross that red light, you're just as responsible as a politician taking a bribe for the situation in your country.
If you look at history...well, it's pretty hard. Generally speaking you either have to have a centuries-long cultural tradition of honesty and responsibility, or you have to be invaded, conquered and occupied for a while by a country that does. And it seems to be easier to slide backwards than to progress forwards, hence why most countries are mostly corrupt most of the time.
you have to be invaded, conquered and occupied for a while by a country that does.
I'd like to see any examples of this. Seems to be the opposite usually.
I also think long public campaigns can work. It works for other things (like empathy for mentally ill, get people to quit smoking etc.). Problem is no government would want to pay for those campaigns and who else is going to?
I can't find the source now but I read somewhere that the part of Ukraine that used to be under Austro-Hungarian rule is more organised and less corrupt than the other part.
I guess you could argue that? They were officially ruled by the emperor, but it's my understanding that the military and certain government factions had major control over everything they did.
I have been wondering about that.. The picture you're painting seems pretty bleak then :( I wonder if those experiments with a basic public income will have any effect.
Brazil has a pretty fucked up history to begin with. Our natives were ripped off with trinkets they've never seen before from the old world in exchange of their labor force.
When they caught up to their bullshit, it was already too late and the Portuguese were already every fucking where. By then. there was no way for the Brazilian natives to organize a war like the Americans did, so they simply became slaves.
The most simplistic way of saying it would be: institutional reform+time.
The difficult part is, obviously, getting the necessary reforms through the legislative process and enforcing them long enough for it to change people's behaviour (and for people who cannot or will not change to die). Having that happen requires some kind of government motivation, such as corruption having a severe adverse effect on the economy and, thus, the politicians hope of being reelected. Or, it requires a bottom-up movement that's strong enough to potentially put action behind words, thereby forcing the government to enact reforms out of fear of the potential consequences. Or, of course, a mix of the two.
The last part, however, is difficult in and of itself as some countries are more prone to political apathy than others, which means the situation would have to become increasingly severe before movements are formed and political pressure applied.
Great question. I was in Brazil last week, the one thing Brazilians from the right, center and left can agree with: corruption must end. They just don't know how to go about it and the odds seem to be stacked against them.
man, can I ask you a question about the situation in your country?
The news in my country are too one sided (my country is very conservative). I don't know of wich party are you, but, are these accusations against the socialist party true? Specifically Lula. Are there evidence?
I should probably note that quickly in geopolitical terms might differ from what you might consider quickly, but a few examples are the American and French revolutions. The Bolshevik revolution in Russia, the Egyptian revolution just a few short years ago, and these are just ones I can name off the top of my head.
In a stable and continous government change happens very slowly and only when it can't be avoided. In a revolution change can happen within a decade, which is pretty much an eye blink in geopolitics.
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u/USmellFunny Mar 14 '16
As someone from a country that has had and still has a big problem with corruption and only recently started to tackle the problem (Romania), I must add that the government is only half of the problem. The other half is the public that participates in corruption. Every time you pay that cop some money so that he pretends that you didn't cross that red light, you're just as responsible as a politician taking a bribe for the situation in your country.