Project Summary
Educate the
Public about the Harm Caused by Corruption and Information Exchange on the
Internet.
Fordham University
is over 165-year-old Jesuit institution with a history of emphasis on
education and ethics. With the help of outside funding The Institute for
Ethics and Economic Policy (IEEP) has undertaken an exciting corruption
information exchange project to educate the public about the harm caused by
corruption. We advocate a judicious and responsible use of the Internet to
exchange the latest information about corruption and bribery, occurring
anywhere. We want to acquaint the public with successful methods and tools
used to fight corruption. IEEP's web page is cited below. We have established
a readily accessible, standardized and up-to-date information exchange.
Although we are at an early stage, we have developed a reputation as an
authoritative and unbiased public source for research and policy-making.
The World Wide Web offers a unique and cost-effective
medium. Our education and information exchange with some data standardization
has the potential to make a real difference in reducing corruption. Our
approach provides the widest exposure to the unrelenting and skillful fights
against the abuse of power through corruption. For example, we include
information and links to sites that provide anticorruption movies, cartoons,
videos, theatre, etc. Our website honors those who have made outstanding
contributions in this regard.
Corruption is a very serious problem imposing an enormous
socio-economic burden on any country. The burden is disproportionately borne
by the common citizen. In developing countries, one dollar of corruption is
estimated to impose a burden of $1.67, which is very substantial when
compounded over time. The web site provides a download opportunity to the
published research by Prof. Vinod showing the $1.67 result. Corruption's
economic harm is generally under-estimated because compounding is often
ignored. IEEP benefits from and cooperates with international organizations
such as Transparency International, which are dedicated to reducing
corruption. The difficulty of collecting corruption information is self-evident.
Corruption--an insidious public enemy--always occurs in “darkness.” A bribe
takes place because private interests of both parties are served, and neither
has any reason to expose it. Greater access to anticorruption tools and
improved public education are vital if one is to succeed in anticorruption
work.
One
of the important harms caused by corruption is in discouraging entrepreneurship and
wealth creation. Prof. Vinod
organized a Conference for the Promotion of Entrepreneurship and Human Rights
on August 1 to 3 in 2005 in New York City. For details see
http://www.fordham.edu/economics/vinod/ehr05.htm
Projects
Internet project:
We have created an efficient and cost-effective Internet site on the
strength of the help from a worldwide pool of volunteers. However, the work
is rapidly expanding and we need student employee(s) and staff to coordinate
the work of young volunteers. The information is currently being obtained
from web sites of newspapers and other public sources, libraries, etc. It
will be useful to collect information from additional sources including
law-enforcement charge sheets given to the local media. We strive to offer
the greatest possible objectivity.
Smart billboards project: We want to erect large
possibly “smart” billboards in front of Govt. offices or other public places
displaying messages saying, for example, that: “Corruption hurts the weaker
sections of society, it is unfair and keeps a country poor by discouraging
honest entrepreneurs. Bribery imposes illegal burden. Wealth creation is
slowed due to corruption, etc.” See
Our One-Liners against corruption.
The billboards can be technologically ‘smart,’ in different languages, with
shifting messages and attractive images.
In places at Ahmedabad, India,
a recent earthquake hurt several people due to corruption in PWD building
inspections. A billboard reminding the people that corruption hurts in lives
lost will be appropriate. In Mumbai,
India there was a
terrorist attack on several key targets including Bombay Stock Exchange. The attack was indirectly helped by
corruption in Customs dept. which permitted illegal import of RDX explosives.
A billboard near the stock exchange will be appropriate.
Local media project: We have a project to use the
local media in developing countries to buy advertisements in local newspapers
and TV, which will explain how everyone is hurt by corruption and what can be
done about it by collective action. We have certain one-liners or quotable
quotes against corruption ready to be placed in local newspapers. We need to
reach local language media, artists, playwrights, screenplay writers, opinion
makers, celebrities and educators, especially in developing countries. We
hope to devise ways of teaching citizen and children about the following: (i)
Corruption hurts entrepreneurship, integrity, and individual responsibility.
(ii) Adam Smith noted that wealth is created by hard work and by providing goods
and services, which people will buy. Corruption hurts wealth creation. (iii)
Concentration of power leads to corruption and Thomas Jefferson's idea of
using “checks and balances” is valuable in fighting corruption. We need
collective action to achieve Governance with Respect, Ethics, Accountability
and Transparency (GREAT) in the Internet age.
Supporting investigative journalists project. We
have a project which supports the investigative journalists in various ways
including awards, provision of modern surveillance equipment, hidden cameras,
etc. to be used responsibly for exposing the kind of corruption which hurts
wealth creation. We are not
interested corruption related to politics.
Supporting anti-corruption ART project. We have a
project to encourage Art contests (essays, film, video, journalistic piece,
cartoon, play, performing art) in scattered local high schools, including
those in rural areas of developing countries. The winning piece must focus on the harm to wealth creation
caused by corruption and new ideas for reducing it and should not focus on
politics. Our One-Liners against
corruption provide possible themes for the student pieces. Local school authorities do the judging of
all items and IEEP provides the prize money.
Acknowledgement
The Institute for Ethics and Economic Policy formally
acknowledges sources of funding and all forms of active support. We also
honor the wishes of our supporters to remain anonymous.
Benefits from Supporting our Projects:
We expect journalists from around the world, opinion
makers, other media persons, empirical researchers in universities,
politicians and policy makers and advisers at international agencies (World
Bank, IMF, etc.) to directly benefit from our website. However, our
enthusiasm for the effort arises from its indirect benefits--the very
presence of such information on the Internet helps the local corruption
fighters, government prosecutors, and the media in many ways. We believe that
the transparency and openness of the Internet create strong disincentives for
the corrupt and bring pressure to reduce corruption.
By honoring those who fight corruption, we encourage such
work and help create role models. Public education regarding the harm caused
by corruption is needed, because people in countries with high corruption
rates are too cynical about all anti-corruption initiatives. We provide
information about success stories from different countries and the modus
operandi used by successful corruption fighters from around the world. We
provide contact information.
The education for ethics via various projects above and
our website hopes to conquer apathy and cynicism about corruption and
includes specific proposals for collective action. Clearly, much more can and
needs to be done for this vital task and we are open to new ideas and
suggestions.
H. D. Vinod, Ph. D.,
Director of IEEP and Professor of Economics,
Fordham
University, Bronx,
New York, 10458.
E-Mail: Vinod@fordham.edu
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