Corruption in India - A quantitative analysis by Vani Baruah
Submitted by mgchandrakanth@... on July 12, 2012 .
This article on Corruption in India relies on a poor legal and a
weak statistical base relying on mere opinions and impressions in the
website www.ipaidabribe.com.
Any one who visits this website can make out that neither there is
accountability of the person who reports a bribe nor there is any sort
of verification such as voter's ID or driving license number or ration
card number or any such thing provided. Also there is no punitive clause
for those who make a fake allegation. The website just asks to mention
the Amount of bribe, City, Date paid, Office or Department and the Name
of the Transaction towards which the bribe was paid. This does not stand
a legal standing since the website hides more than what it reveals. In
addition, the author has not considered the other three aspects "I did
not pay a bribe", "I did not have to pay a bribe", "I don't want to pay a
bribe" which also influences 'corruption'. Further, it is not the mean
corruption which counts, since mean is influenced by extreme values. It
is the 'modal' corruption which counts (corruption amount paid most
frequently).
This comment does not mean that there is no corruption. It only means that the researcher needs to conduct a primary survey for obtaining information on the transaction costs. This vetting is crucial before totally believing the information posted on a website.
It is also crucial to note why there is such a great variation for the same operation (i.e. police verification) between the 'estimators' Mean and Median. The author draws no implication from the study. One implication could be to include the modal corruption (after due verification from primary data as suggested) paid as a 'search fee' or 'police verification fee' so that the Police Department gets this payment. Police have to maintain law and order and have other works to do and passport work needs to be accounted and involves a transaction cost which needs to be paid by the seeker. This also brings in accountability so that the seeker can always say that I have paid the fee and even though this would not guarantee that one would have a zero police verification fee, it brings in greater transparency.
This comment does not mean that there is no corruption. It only means that the researcher needs to conduct a primary survey for obtaining information on the transaction costs. This vetting is crucial before totally believing the information posted on a website.
It is also crucial to note why there is such a great variation for the same operation (i.e. police verification) between the 'estimators' Mean and Median. The author draws no implication from the study. One implication could be to include the modal corruption (after due verification from primary data as suggested) paid as a 'search fee' or 'police verification fee' so that the Police Department gets this payment. Police have to maintain law and order and have other works to do and passport work needs to be accounted and involves a transaction cost which needs to be paid by the seeker. This also brings in accountability so that the seeker can always say that I have paid the fee and even though this would not guarantee that one would have a zero police verification fee, it brings in greater transparency.
Vague operational definition
Submitted by dionysian on July 12, 2012 .
In the case of passport application, policemen go to an
applicant's place not only to verify his/her identity, but also to
verify his/her address. This is especially true if it's a passport
renewal application, wherein the applicant's identity has already been
established at the time of issuing the first passport. So, the
researcher's operational definition of 'passport verification' bribe is
slightly vague. Say, I applied for passport for the first time and I
paid a bride to the enquiry official - the policeman - when he came to
my place. This includes a bribe to approve my identity as well as to
verify that I stay at the given address with the knowledge of the
authorities. Does the researcher's sample include passport renewal
applicants? If yes, they've paid the bribe only for address verification
and not for identity verification.
Otherwise, the attempt to quantify the corruption amount is commendable.
Otherwise, the attempt to quantify the corruption amount is commendable.
Corruption Free India
Submitted by Dr ShankarChatterjee on July 09, 2012 .
The article on Corruption in India: A Quantitative Analysis by
Vani K Borooah (EPW 14 July 2012) is really sublime reading. First time
an attempt has been made to quantify the level of corruption in India.
After traveling across the country I have observed no one likes
corruption. Corruption is the off shoot of British Policy and today our
country has been getting bad name for few persons. To justify the
statement, Lord Macaulay’s Address to the British Parliament on 2
February, 1835 may be mentioned here “I have travelled across the length
and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar,
who is a thief such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral
values, people of such caliber, that I do not think we would ever
conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation
which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and, therefore, I propose
that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for
if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and
greater than their own, they will lose their self-esteem, their native
culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated
nation”.
In recent years not only for Passport (as mentioned in the article) but to get ration card, driving license, or for any public services in most of the cities without bribe no work is complete. Need of the hour is to up-root corruption. In this context Central Vigilance Commission’s Draft Report on Anti corruption Strategy may be highlighted which inter alia, states that any anti-corruption strategy should fundamentally focus in the following manner - Character education, Citizenship and democracy education, Youth anti-corruption education, Organizing public awareness campaigns, Promoting ‘zero tolerance’ etc. Another important line of the Report is that, “Film shows and videos of people with integrity & how they grew in society through right Means”. Let us have corruption free India then the country can show path to others. No one can beat us.
Dr Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad
In recent years not only for Passport (as mentioned in the article) but to get ration card, driving license, or for any public services in most of the cities without bribe no work is complete. Need of the hour is to up-root corruption. In this context Central Vigilance Commission’s Draft Report on Anti corruption Strategy may be highlighted which inter alia, states that any anti-corruption strategy should fundamentally focus in the following manner - Character education, Citizenship and democracy education, Youth anti-corruption education, Organizing public awareness campaigns, Promoting ‘zero tolerance’ etc. Another important line of the Report is that, “Film shows and videos of people with integrity & how they grew in society through right Means”. Let us have corruption free India then the country can show path to others. No one can beat us.
Dr Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad
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