I Paid a Bribe
ipaidabribe.com
I Paid a Bribe
1–10 of 109 posts
Re: I Paid a Bribe
#2Is there some sort of context missing to go along with this? It's an interesting enough site, but I don't get it completely.
Re: I Paid a Bribe
#3Is there some sort of context missing to go along with this? It's an interesting enough site, but I don't get it completely.
http://www.ipaidabribe.com/node/77
IpaidABribe.com is Janaagraha’s unique initiative to tackle corruption by harnessing the collective energy of citizens. You can report on the nature, number, pattern, types, location, frequency and values of actual corrupt acts on this website. Your reports will, perhaps for the first time, provide a snapshot of bribes occurring across your city. We will use them to argue for improving governance systems and procedures, tightening law enforcement and regulation and thereby reduce the scope for corruption in obtaining services from the government.
Re: I Paid a Bribe
#4This is an interesting idea, but it needs some cachet to catch on. Don't get me wrong: India _needs_ this site, and needs it badly. Corruption and graft have become so bad that everyone from the top-most office down to the lowest level refuses to even lift a finger without getting his palm greased. Things have become so bad that officials are willing to cause a loss of billions of dollars to the taxpayer just to make some money (ref. the "2G scam").
What India needs is a WikiLeaks. And a "wikileaks" for corruption, where you can list the name, position, etc. of the officials who are corrupt. It would be a pretty long list, I can imagine.
Re: I Paid a Bribe
#5This is an interesting idea, but it needs some cachet to catch on. Don't get me wrong: India _needs_ this site, and needs it badly. Corruption and graft have become so bad that everyone from the top-most office down to the lowest level refuses to even lift a finger without getting his palm greased. Things have become so bad that officials are willing to cause a loss of billions of dollars to the taxpayer just to make…
>> Will you help us set up something like [WikiLeaks] in our town?
>> There already is a WikiLeaks in your town: WikiLeaks. The corruption exposure business is [global], not regional.
It's often forgotten that WikiLeaks isn't specifically aimed at the US, and the vast majority of their leaks until recently were from other parts of the world.
Re: I Paid a Bribe
#6Took me far too long to find the "view stories" link:
http://www.ipaidabribe.com/sforms/view_reports_paid
It'd be great to have these on a map. I want to see where bribes are most common(ly reported)
Though, I suppose this site is so focused on Bangalore, it may not be much use.
Re: I Paid a Bribe
#7Darn, this seems like a site meant to uncover and curb corruption.
I was hoping it was a site where everyday folks share their stories about when it helps to give a nice tip or innocently grease a few palms.
Well known cases would be the "$20 trick" you give to the hotel clerk to get a free room upgrade. Once during an airport emergency, I gave two $10 bills to the bellhop to cut the long line at my hotel taxi stand (the bellhop keeps one $10 bill and gives the other to the taxi stand valet guy, who waved us into the next cab).
I remember seeing on Friends that you can shorten your restaurant wait times by giving money to the hostess, and the book Doormen claims you can get lots of perks by over-tipping your doormen. What I need is a menu of all such extra services that can be achieved and the average cost / success rate, so I minimize the chances of looking like an idiot.
Re: I Paid a Bribe
#8I still really like the idea of the zero-Rupee notes circulating in India, created specifically to present to government officials asking for bribes. Apparently, in many cases the official is so shamed on being handed the nil bill that the bribe is effectively paid.
Re: I Paid a Bribe
#9This is an interesting idea, but it needs some cachet to catch on. Don't get me wrong: India _needs_ this site, and needs it badly. Corruption and graft have become so bad that everyone from the top-most office down to the lowest level refuses to even lift a finger without getting his palm greased. Things have become so bad that officials are willing to cause a loss of billions of dollars to the taxpayer just to make…
I live in Mexiko. The corruption here is enourmous, from top to bottom. Wikileaks has showed this corruption.
The problem IMHO with corruption is that nobody can/want to do something about it. It doesn't matter (at least here) if you collect all the proofs necessary, because the people that can do something about it are corrupt as well.
And I don't think it's that easy to denounce bribes and send to jail the guilty ones.
There was a case against ABB (http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2010/2010-175.htm), ABB was charged of paying bribes to Mexican government. There are two ways to make bussiness here, pay a bribe or to leave. ¿Who is more guilty, who pays the bribe (and get no income at all) or the one who receives it? I don't think companies have any moral. So the option is to follow a corruption scheme.
And I'm not saying I agree with that or that I'm happy with it. I'm only saying that it doesn't serve a purpose to denounce bribes, if there's no one to punish them.
Re: I Paid a Bribe
#10Darn, this seems like a site meant to uncover and curb corruption. I was hoping it was a site where everyday folks share their stories about when it helps to give a nice tip or innocently grease a few palms. Well known cases would be the "$20 trick" you give to the hotel clerk to get a free room upgrade. Once during an airport emergency, I gave two $10 bills to the bellhop to cut the long line at my hotel taxi stand…
I remember seeing on Friends that you can shorten your restaurant wait times by giving money to the hostess
This article was very popular on HN a while ago and discussed extensively: "Bribing maitre d' to skip the line"