Ajit Mishra
Corruption Plagues the Poor
The "cancer of corruption" is rampant in poor countries and needs to become a social priority, development economist Ajit Mishra writes in Forbes.
Corruption, or abuse of public office for private gain, hurts the poor and undermines anti-poverty programs, Mishra reports from India. In corrupt societies, poor people are cut off from aid and access to public goods like water, health care, credit and education.
Payments have been made for non-existent public works, money has been disbursed to fictitious (sometimes long dead) persons, employed persons are paid only a fraction of the stipulated wage with the rest being appropriated by officials. This is not an isolated example; anti-poverty programs around the world have encountered similar problems. In some cases, the leakage from corruption can be as high as 80 percent.
Mishra says laws to curb corruption have proven ineffective, and that without methods to apprehend and punish corrupt officials, the growth potential of poor countries will continue to be severely inhibited.
Digg
Facebook
Google Buzz
LinkedIn
StumbleUpon
Twitter
Recent comments
on GOMANGO! A simple solution to save Haiti's leading fruit
on Groups claim World Bank aids land grabs
on Is Foreign Aid Helping Or Hurting Africa?
on More than an argument, land conflicts stall economic growth
on Honduras envisions a Caribbean Hong Kong, but 'charter city' plan meets criticism