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> Corruption is increasingly rampant in both the public and private sectors, and money is being siphoned off at every step. This is utter bullshit when it come
by evgen 8y ago
> Corruption is increasingly rampant in both the public and private sectors, and money is being siphoned off at every step.
This is utter bullshit when it comes to the sort of major public infrastructure projects hinted at in the original post. In fact, what slows things down significantly is the fact that there are so many controls in place to reduce and eliminate this corruption. Contracts that could have been settled with a fat envelope to the brother-in-law of the county commissioner are now handled in a much more open and transparent process. Corrupt profits that could be skimmed by using sub-standard materials are now prevented by layer upon layer of inspection and sourcing paperwork (which all increases cost.) Projects that could once move quickly because unions were weak and safety regulations were non-existent, to the point where contractors could simply throw human lives at the problem until it was solved, now move at a slower pace and with far fewer deaths as a result.
Infrastructure may take more time and cost more, but the cost in lives during construction and after the project is completed are much lower.
- raintrees 8y agoI would think that potential litigation might be a determining factor, at least in the USA.
- humanrebar 8y ago"Corruption" is word with multiple definitions. It can mean underhanded. In that case it's a sort of shorthand for "moral corruption". It indicates the person or system is far from a moral ideal. But, generally speaking, corruption can just indicate something that has deviated from its original use. A corrupted file on a computer does not meet its intended purpose, at least not fully. A corrupt organization, likewise, could be 100% honest in all its dealings (1) and fail to meet its intended purpose. If government agencies partnering with private contractors cannot reasonably build the project all of them exist to build, then there is some sort of corruption going on. It's possible there is graft or underhandedness, but it's also possible that there is emergent dysfunction inhibiting their ability to execute. That is also corruption. (1) That is, the organization is not morally or ethically corrupt.