Rotberg Robert I.: Antikorupcija

Robert I. Rotberg: Anticorruption

Corruption is an internal tumor of almost all political bodies. Corrupt practices pervade all classes and castes, disrupt institutions, destroy communities and infect the entire fabric of human life. Corruption eats away at even the most advanced nations and depletes their moral fabric. Moreover, corruption is pervasive and ruthless. It degrades governance, perverts and criminalizes national priorities, privileging the theft of natural resources, personal and family benefit over the common good.

Almost the entire world is infected with corruption, which drains the entire 3 percent of the world's GDP in large areas of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Even North America is not immune to corruption. The World Bank claims that a trillion dollars a year is lost worldwide due to corruption. Dissatisfaction with corruption has become a central concern of citizens around the world. Accusations and counterattacks are pouring in on social media; politicians accuse their opponents of corrupt behavior. Corruption is, after all, one of the biggest problems of our time.

Subduing corruption, or at least reducing political or corporate corrupt behavior, helps underprivileged people prosper and begin to enjoy a substantially better standard of living. The fight against corruption is among the important initiatives that materially strengthen the overall human results. Fortunately, now we know the best way to fight corruption and which measures are effective and which are not.

We know that changing collective behavior provides permanent responses to the pressure of corruption. We now also know that committed leadership is crucial in the fight against corruption. The strength of institutions grows when the state leadership expresses itself and moves into a political culture that is diametrically opposed to further corruption. That is, institutions cannot stand against corrupt activities if leaders do not show the political will to socialize their citizens and push them to accept a culture of political incorruptibility.

This book comprehensively explains these propositions and discusses the rejection of old theories about the ways and reasons why corruption exists, the priority of institutions and the ways in which corruption can be most effectively eradicated from public and corporate life. At best, this book will serve as a guide for reformers as well as opinion makers. It is written for the ordinary informed reader, but also for scholars, researchers and students who want to understand the dangerous diseases of our modern society and how best to cure them.

The first chapter of this book explains what corruption is, in theory and practice, and how scientists and practitioners describe this affliction and its fatal consequences. The second chapter talks about the ways of measuring corruption and the ways in which we can compare countries regarding their specific levels of corruption. The third chapter explains how the Nordic countries, New Zealand and Canada, currently among the least corrupt countries in the world, were once full of examples of corrupt practices and how they have been reduced and largely eradicated. The fourth chapter expands the examination of the ways in which corrupt states become non-corrupt in South and Central America, and in particular the modern cases of Uruguay, Chile and Costa Rica, the least corrupt governments in Latin America, are shown.

The fifth chapter provides a detailed series of analyzes on the role of various types of judicial and legal systems in reducing corruption. The sixth chapter considers the role of auditors, ombudsmen, independent investigative media and other examples of transparency and accountability. It also discusses the difference between public and private
corruption and the ways in which international companies can become effective enemies of corrupt behavior. The seventh chapter shows how responsibility can be strengthened by using the technological advantages of mobile phones, webcams, blockchain nova, biometrics, public opinion polls and the like.

The eighth chapter of the book explains the strong claim that responsible political leadership is of crucial importance for the successful eradication of corruption. Without sufficient political will - a so far neglected element - and a wise end to existing social patterns, corruption simply continues. Since corruption starts at the top, good political leadership is important, especially in the United States, which is discussed. The last chapter of the book summarizes all eight previous chapters to provide concrete thirteen steps to success in combating corruption.