At this time last year, Italy’s judiciary issued a warning. The judges stated that there were signs that levels of corruption, a problem which has long dogged Italy, were once again upon the increase.
Sadly, this prediction, which I wrote about on Blog from Italy last year, has become reality. In 2009, incidences of corruption in Italy rose by a staggering 229% over 2008 levels.
Mario Ristuccia, the General Prosecutor of Italy’s Corta dei Conti, or ‘State Auditors’ Department’, warned that such high levels of corruption might put off those considering investing in Italy.
A small gift
It’s a worrying situation, but it does appear as though corruption is pretty much endemic in Italy. Recently corruption scandals surrounding G8 construction works, and the ‘quake rebuilding works in Abruzzo have rocked Italy. Fresh stories of skulduggery seem to reach the Italian press virtually daily.
As has been said before, Italy’s national sport is not football, but tax evasion, well it’s starting to look as though the beautiful game may be pushed into third place by another Italian ‘pastime’.
Here is a semi tongue in cheek look at why corruption levels are likely to remain high in Italy, and what might have started the ball rolling. Downhill.
Ten Reasons Why Corruption Exists in Italy
1. It gets very hot. It’s true, in summer Italy becomes a sauna. Nobody can be bothered to do much, especially not filling in forms or much that passes for work. The country slows down. How can one help things move forward once more? Easy. Globs of money can act as a suitable lubricant and can help speed things up.
The hotter it gets in Italy; read the further south you go; the higher the number of incidences of corruption tend to be.
2. Italy is horribly bureaucratic. Myriads of silly little rules and regulations can make the simplest of tasks take ages to get done here. The heat does not help either. All it takes is one swift payment to cut through years of red tape.
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3. Italy is cliquey. Groups of businessmen band together and make it difficult for others to do anything without ‘approval’. How can such approval be obtained? Simple. Hand over a few suitcase-loads of cash. Thumbs up guaranteed.
4. Italians need help from their friends. It’s easy to see why. Just read reasons 1 to 3 above. Sons and daughters can be given a leg up by ‘friends’. Assistance from such ‘friends’ becomes swift and much more generous upon the promise of donations and gifts. Degrees and jobs are often obtained in this way (Perhaps the Royal Family in Britain could possibly be accused of using its influence to lubricate access into top flight universities such as Oxford and Cambridge? – This is not an entirely Italian phenomenon.).
A big gift
5. It starts in the cradle. ‘Facciamo un patto’ – ‘Let’s make a deal’ – is not a phrase which comes from some bugged telephone converation which took place between two devious Italian businessmen. No, it’s a phrase my Italian other half often uses to persuade our little son to do something. For our son, the bribe is no more than some toy or gift, but one can see how such ‘toys’ and ‘gifts’ might become larger and larger until they become life-size.
Of course, this reason could have its origins in number 1. Heat and motherhood do not good bedfellows make.
6. Nothing really changes. Possibly related to the heat, and the complexity, is the fact that change in Italy is a slow process. How do we accelerate matters? Dangle a carrot.
7. Everybody is at it. Some businessmen may well argue, ‘Well, if I don’t, he will, and I will lose out’. Preemptive bribe time.
8. Recipients encourage it. Pay levels in Italy can be a little on the low side, especially in the public sector. Wife wants a fur coat, son wants an new car, daughter wants bigger boobs, and recipient does not have enough money to keep everybody satisfied. Time for the classic words, ‘Well, perhaps we could come to some arrangement.’ The backhander ball starts rolling.
9. Italian banks won’t give anybody overdrafts or loans. Someone needs money, someone else wants something doing, and offers money to get it done. Instant bank balance improvement, and no repayments! Related to 8 above.
10. Nobody pays up on time. Those 30, 60, and 90 day settlement periods all too often become 300, 600, and 900 days in Italy. In the meantime one has got to live, pay for cosmetic surgery, and eat. If someone comes along and makes you an offer you cannot refuse which will help you sort out your dreadful cashflow, you are unlikely to say no.
And so it goes on. One big vicious circle.
Other suggestions, or denials, greatly welcomed. And yes, I am aware that Italy is not the only corrupt place on the planet, just in case you were wondering.
For the record, someone once tried to offer me a bribe. I told my boss. Funny, I often wondered how he managed to afford that Ferrari… 
Blog from Italy February 16 2009: Italian News Roundup
Reuters Italia February 17 2010: Corte Conti: corruzione in netto aumento nel 2009 State Auditors’ Department: net increase in corruption in 2009 – in Italian
Photograph: Knatterboot by Kolling http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benutzer:Kolling
About Alex Roe
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I would easily trade Italy’s system of “corruption” any day for what we have in the USA, which amounts to fully-legalized, institutionalized corporate corruption. Corporations wieldind undue influence has been ingrained and entrenched in America for so long, in fact, it all looks and seems perfectly “okay” to most people on the surface, and hence there is very little or no public uproar targeted at corporate misdeeds. I find the lamenting of Italian “corruption” to be incredibly naive — both on the parts of Italians themselves, and also on the part of ex-pats from colder climes! Come and live in Washington, DC for a couple of years and spend some time really interfacing with the lobbyists on K Street, and THEN come to me and tell me about “corruption”!
Hi Joe,
“I find the lamenting of Italian “corruption” to be incredibly naive — both on the parts of Italians themselves, and also on the part of ex-pats from colder climes!” – I feel my ears burning!
Silvio would wholly agree with you, I’m sure. Maybe Mr B has a point and Italians really should not worry about what they perceive as being too much corruption. From what you appear to be hinting, Italy does not really have much of a problem, or, on the other hand, compared to the US of A, the problem of corruption in Italy is not really much more than a drop in the Med.
I know you’ve mentioned corruption in the US before, and it does fascinate me just how corrupt you think the States are. You work in government, so you are in a better position than most to know.
It’d be good to hear the opinion of others on this. I’m much too naive. I shall find the nearest stone and slide under it.
Best,
Alex
Alex — how do we define corruption? Are we defining it only in the strictest sense — i.e., the use of illicit means to extract favours from government?
Or, shall we define corruption in a broader, moral sense — “the use of ANY means, legal or illegal, to immorally extract favours from government?”
I will leave it up to you to closely examine the two definitions, carefully consider their similarities and differences, and then tell me what you think.
Hi Joe,
Sorry about the time it’s taken for me to get round to replying to this – I wanted to devote a little time to the reply.
“How do we define corruption? Are we defining it only in the strictest sense — i.e., the use of illicit means to extract favours from government? ”
For me, corruption is this: using illicit means to extract favours from government. However, it’s not that clear cut, in that “illicit means” can be very clear, such as paying people to do things, or somewhat opaque in the form of small gifts, party invitations and general “buttering up”.
This takes us quite neatly to your second definition:
“Or, shall we define corruption in a broader, moral sense — “the use of ANY means, legal or illegal, to immorally extract favours from government?””
This is where things become very complex and drawing a line between what is merely ” doing business” and “going too far” is not easy. I could offer a client a Rolex watch at Christmas, knowing full well that this client would be tempted to use my services again. A businessman could do the same with a government official. A bottle of wine may not be considered as being an attempt at corruption, whereas the Rolex would be. Essentially they are the same – gifts offered to generate business.
Now, there are other methods of extracting favourable treatment, such as threats and intimidation, but they are not, in my book, corruption.
Big business carries a huge amount of weight in society. Huge companies make vast monetary contributions to government (taxes), and it does not take a genius to realise that keeping politicians friendly can be of benefit to business. With powerful organisations, it’s a case of “if you’ve got it, flaunt it”. Pressure is applied, moral pressure, in return for laws and amendments. For the average voter, this seems wrong, but it’s arguable whether it is. After all, we all have to work together and keep a country afloat.
The problem is drawing a line between what is OK, and what is unfair. I suppose one test could be the “man on the street” test, in that when a company is found to have exerted pressure to obtain favours or paid money, then if a court finds that it exerted more pressure than the “man on the street” could, then this would be considered as corruption. Sounds OK, but such a law would cause genuine groups such as charities and trades unions huge problems.
Your comments, as always, are welcome.
Best,
Alex
Alex, I just happened to find this piece by chance, today, reading an issue of The Nation while riding home on the DC Metro…
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20100222/lessig
It’s by Larry Lessig, Harvard law professor and founder of Creative Commons, and I think it answers just about every one of the points you bring up. It also illustrates why I think Italian notions of “corruption” are terribly antiquated and quaint. Read it, or at least the first half, where Lessig sets forth the problems.
The most telling sound byte from the article, I think:
“Since the time of Rome, historians have taught that while corruption is a part of every society, the only truly dangerous corruption comes when the society has lost any sense of shame. Washington has lost its sense of shame.”
Hi Joe,
I’ve read Lessig’s piece. There are lessons in it for us all, but I was very sad to read that Lessig thinks Obama has sunk into the ‘old ways’. Sad for me, sad for the world.
Anyway, Lessig’s concept of corruption appears to me to be something like ‘data corruption’ – what happens when a hard disk gets too close to a magnate. Everything becomes confused and illegible. The malaise Lessig identifies seems to afflict modern politics worldwide. The recent election of the extreme right in Holland, in my opinion, reflects not so much that society has gone awry, so much as our leaders who are no longer leading. Other interests have corrupted, in Lessig’s sense, what these people should be all about – making their countries better places for future generations, and managing crises and change efficiently. The immigrant situation needs to be managed, not attacked.
Politics in Britain went rotten a good few years ago, with Blair’s colourful but empty style being part of the downward spiral. Now there are few, if any, creditable politicians in the UK.
There is talk of Sarkozy being something of an empty vessel in France, and then we come to Italy. There is not much lobbying in Italy, but big business does interfere, as does the Vatican, and most of Italy’s politicians seem to have forgotten that they should be representing the people, and setting a good example. Italy’s younger generations have been receiving very confused,or should one say ‘corrupt’ signals from those who purport to be their leaders.
There is some serious rot in society today throughout the world, and I fear that things will become worse before they get better. I hope that ‘get worse’ does not mean wiping out half of the world’s population, but I fear this could be the case, sooner or later.
The status quo is accepted by voters far too readily. If I had my way, which I won’t, I’m small fry, I’d count the non-voting population, and if the number of non-voters exceeds those who vote, no party receives the mandate of the people. Then the parties would be forced to present new, more appetising, candidates – people who are both idealists at heart, and are prepared to put the time in to sorting out what is becoming an increasingly large pile of detritus sitting under many nations’ living room carpets.
Revolution is a strong word to use, but sometimes it is the only way to bring about real change. And revolutions do not necessarily have to be bloody affairs.
Thanks for pointing me towards Lessig’s article. If I were American, and he stood for president, he’d get my vote.
Kind regards,
Alex
Hi Alex,
Have you seen this?
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4031435&id=135477526306&ref=nf#!/photo.php?pid=4031435&id=135477526306&ref=nf&fbid=349762316306
Jon from Milan
‘Facciamo un patto’ – I always wondered how the big kids learned the tricks of the trade (impediments)!!!
Bravissimo
http://burntbythtuscansun.blogspot.com
http://www.upyourbottom.com