In this eminently readable collection, anti-corruption experts guide the reader through the dark world of international bribery schemes, from Washington, D.C. to Europe and Africa and across Asia. Following the authors' accounts of imaginative and varied schemes in which charitable contributions are tainted and fine art is used as a vehicle for passing bribes to greedy officials, this volume offers recommendations for the best practices companies can incorporate to avoid corruption as they interact with governments, intermediaries and each other in international markets.

Revisit the furtive corporate backroom dealings of bribery and corruption in this third collection of works by investigative journalists, former prosecutors and bribery experts from around the world. Behind the newspaper headlines and government investigations, these are the true to life stories of what leads people down bribery's crooked path. Explore the unscrupulous lengths to which some will go in order to win business, from setting up shady offshore front companies in the Caribbean to bogus charities in Eurasia. Whether you are a seasoned compliance expert or new to the field, each chapter in this collection offers practical advice while remaining an immensely engaging read.

Drawing on global empirical evidence, Li offers a novel explanation to the age-old puzzle of why some countries thrive despite corruption.

This book documents what happens when people encounter public officials. It draws on multi-national Barometer surveys asking questions about corruption and bribery in 119 countries. Clear prose, tables and figures report the answers given by more than 250,000 people and the conclusion sets out six principles for reducing bribery.

Ugandan firms typically have to pay bribes when dealing with public officials whose actions directly affect the firms' business operations. How much? The more a firm can pay, the more it has to pay.Svensson exploits a unique data set on corruption containing information about estimated bribe payments by Ugandan firms. To guide the empirical analysis he develops a simple rent-extortion model, which yields predictions on both the incidence of bribery and the amount paid. Both predictions are consistent with the data.Firms typically have to pay bribes when dealing with public officials whose actions directly affect the firms' business operations. And the amount paid in bribes is not a fixed sum for a set of public services but depends on the firm's ability to pay.Controlling for other potential explanations of the relationship between ability to pay and equilibrium graft, Svensson shows that the more a firm can pay, the more it has to pay.This paper - a product of Macroeconomics and Growth, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to study the causes and consequences of corruption. The author may be contacted at [email protected].

What do Plato and the Bible tell us about bribery? Does it even matter? When it comes to ethical guidance on bribery should we look less to traditional wisdom and instead be seeking understanding and guidance primarily from modern sources? From economists with their talk of efficient markets, and from the critical theorists who focus on inequities in power relations? This book explores such questions in depth. Taking the form of a Platonic dialogue, the book contains a discussion of claims made for recognition of the positive aspects of bribery. This goes beyond the well-known "harmless" bribe - the facilitating or “grease” payment which encourages an official to speed up the performance of his or her existing duties, without additional favors. This type of baksheesh may be unattractive but it may be ethically acceptable on occasion, on the grounds of expediency. The discussion also covers the more controversial claim that some bribes are undeniably virtuous, owing to their positive consequences. An example of virtuous bribery is that made by Oskar Schindler to save lives in the Second World War. The book’s unique discussion format provides space for the comparison and differentiation of a plurality of ethical perspectives, and it reveals some surprising common ground between ostensibly irreconcilable ethical viewpoints. If a convincing case could be made for the acceptability of certain categories of bribery, the implications for public and institutional anti-bribery policies would be significant. In particular, the rationale for “zero tolerance” approaches might be threatened. Perhaps the ultimate public policy question raised in the text is how we might accommodate a fringe of virtuous and harmless bribery alongside a strict vigilance over the damaging effects of most bribes. By exploring this topic, this book will be of interest to public policy makers, anti-corruption professionals, and the general reader interested in counter-corruption practices.

Bribery plays a significant role in international criminal activity. Terrorists pay bribes. Money-launderers pay bribes. Those who traffic in people, narcotics, and illegal arms pay bribes. People pay immigration officers not to ask, customs officials not to inspect, and police officers not to investigate. Bribes follow patterns that are not at all mysterious to the officials, salesmen, and citizens who seek them and pay them. Using a series of international cases, Wrage examines bribery, peeling back the mystique and ambiguity and exposing the very simple transactions that lie beneath. She shows how these seemingly everyday transactions can affect security, democratization, and human aid. Examples from around the world help to illustrate the nature of the problem and efforts at combating it. Bribery plays a significant role in international criminal activity. Terrorists pay bribes. Money-launderers pay bribes. Those who traffic in people, narcotics, and illegal arms pay bribes. People pay immigration officers not to ask, customs officials not to inspect, and police officers not to investigate. At corporate headquarters in the United States, it can be easy to dismiss modest bribes in distant countries as an unfortunate cost of doing business. Bribes follow patterns that are not at all mysterious to the officials, salesmen, and citizens who seek them and pay them. Using a series of international cases, Wrage examines bribery, peeling back the mystique and ambiguity and exposing the very simple transactions that lie beneath. She shows how these seemingly everyday transactions can affect security, democratization, and human aid around the globe. Bribery and Extortion presents a clear picture of the world of bribery and the havoc it can wreak on whole populations. Wrage covers commercial bribery, administrative and service-based bribery, and extortion. She considers bribery and extortion at both high levels of government and lower levels on the street. Examples from around the world help to illustrate the nature of the problem and efforts at combating it. The book concludes with practical suggestions and an assessment of current efforts to stem the tide of bribery and restore transparency to everyday transactions in all realms.