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ROAR: “Society should help the state to fight corruption”
Published: 07 October, 2009, 13:12
Edited: 03 March, 2010, 20:18
Corruption is rather a problem of mindset than of economic realities, analysts think.
I am really struck by the lack of practicality in handling corruption culture. As if there are no methods available elsewhere. First things first. Russia needs to tackle the layer of all services that directly interact with customers. Russia's bureaucracy is knowledgeable, but not efficient and customer oriented. Consequently, it is convoluted, expensive and everything takes forever. A simple process implemented over 20 years ago in US calls for the separation of the thin layer of customer service from the program management. Customer service handles all the interaction with customer, it is simple and must be automated. The decision-making is very simple at this level. Money is handled by separate function, not attached to the program management, or to customer service. Program managers do not handle money, and any case decision-making must be team based, simple and transparent. The management cannot dictate to Customer Service rules, so that decision-making is contained within a range of possibilities. Customer service, program management and the accounts receivable/payable are separated. Decision makers do not handle money, and decisions are processed through Customer Service. While Accounts Receivable process money, but cannot make any decisions. This triangulation makes job functions SIMPLE, FASTER and ACCOUNTABLE. Corruption on a higher level is managed through procurement processes that are transparent. The key to killing corruption is FAST, FRIENDLY, EFFICIENT SERVICE for a published fee. If not done within the time frame, and within rules, the triangle of functions can pinpoint where the problems are. Russia needs to start somewhere. Pick a service, define the thin but wide customer service across multiple programs. Friendly people with a smile need to fill out data once, that is then shared by multiple programs, and customer is spared the misery --- and the need to grease some palms to get something done.
I think free honest media is important, this idea of no immunity, the people will know. Then I think there is the systemic reasons, if it takes 2 days to renew a car license, bribery is really an indication of opportunity cost, the market is pricing itself, and that’s actually a business problem or opportunity, depending on ones view point. Smart management solves this problem because they will identify that there is a market within a market and tap into it. People don’t live for a salary, they live for a future, and this is the most difficult problem, it’s about culture and it comes right from the top. Leaders must surround themselves with good people, and keep the highest offices clean. The biggest problem is that its difficult to be angels in hell, if an institution like the IMF and World Bank is a cesspool of corruption, politicians are likely to be corrupt, and once a country sells its soul, it’s a one way ticket to hell. This is where society can help a good leader, because he is going to need all the help he can get. I think the trick is not to identify corruption as just a bad thing, its actually a business hiding in the system, the trick is to isolate and identify it. There is just the criminal element like human trafficking, that you have to make costly, simply exterminate the vermin, they have to know that there is no place to hide. The most powerful institution that molds society is the central bank… yes we built what we have today, we let the vermin build a temple, and now we have a choice, Rome fails, or we fight for our final freedom.