Corruption in India – Fight it with a Worthless Banknote
In India a special banknote raises attention. It looks just like a 50 Rupee bill, but has no money value. What looks like some kind of joke is directed at a very serious issue:
corruption. The banknote features Gandhi’s face and the request to abstain from any corrupt behavior. People are welcomed to give the bill to any official trying to extort money in order for better services. Obviously the strategy tries to take advantage of the still wildly appreciated founding father Gandhi and appeals at his outspoken honesty – apparently with good success. According to some reports some officials, being given the bill would not only have refrained from taking any money but even have returned earlier extorted money. Even this is certainly a particular notable success there are chances that this idea might actually work where others have failed. For instance publicly publishing names of corrupt officials did not deliver the expected results but rather worsened the situation because the
population then knew exactly whom to bribe.
There is not much to add but to underline the need for proceedings adapted to local circumstances. While naming and shaming could possibly work in Europe and probably also in Arabic or east-Asiatic countries where loosing face because of corruption is a serious issue, India evidently requires different measures.
Source: Economist
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