The Paradox of the Good Bribe : A Discussion Defining and Protecting the Public Interest

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

O'Regan, David J, 1966- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bribery--Moral and ethical aspects.

Bribery.

Corruption--Moral and ethical aspects.

Corruption.

Common good--Moral and ethical aspects.

Common good.

Other Title:

Paradox of the Good Bribe

Place of Publication:

Universal-Publishers

Summary:

"Bribery is unsettling. It is difficult to detect and often difficult to interpret. Even more unsettling are claims that bribery should sometimes be considered harmless, or even virtuous. Is not bribery a damaging form of economic parasitism? Yet 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. 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. The unique discussion format provides space for the comparison and differentiation of a plurality of ethical perspectives. The discussion centers on claims made by a zealous advocate of laissez-faire free markets for recognition of the "good" bribe, which has an undeniably virtuous outcome, alongside the "harmless" bribe, a facilitating or baksheesh payment which simply encourages an official to speed up the performance of his or her existing duties, without additional favors. He also envisions a third category of acceptable bribery - the "ambiguous" bribe, which arises from the difficulty of differentiating an influence-peddling bribe from a gift given with no expectations of a quid pro quo. These views are challenged from both radical and traditionalist perspectives, including arguments derived from Biblical ethics and the classical Greek virtues. Although the traditionalist and radical participants struggle to refute the economist's arguments, the discussions reveal some surprising common ground between ostensibly irreconcilable ethical viewpoints. Notwithstanding the ambiguities and apparent virtues of some transactions on the margins of bribery, the discussions indicate that most bribes are without doubt deeply damaging in their social and economic effects. Perhaps the ultimate public policy question raised in the text is how we might accommodate a fringe of virtuous and harmless bribery while maintaining a strict vigilance over the damaging effects of most bribes. There appears to be no simple model or algorithm that can spit out a "once-size-fits-all" process for the ethical evaluation of bribery. Individual bribery transactions place high demands on us to deliver individualized, rigorous and time-consuming assessments"-- Provided by publisher.

Other Format:

Online version: O'Regan, David J, 1966- Paradox of the 'good' bribe

ISBN:

9781627343015

1627343016