Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Anti Aircraft Guns Work Against Aircraft...BUT Do Anticorruption Methods Work Against Corruption



 Anti Corruption Campaigner Brian Pinkowski writes:


Working on USAID Anticorruption projects I have often found that anticorruption institutions need access to very simple materials that help explain what corruption is.  Something odd happens when people enter government around the world and they seem to shift from the idea that anticorruption is about preventing things that cause the degradation of society to thinking that anticorruption is primarily about investigations, arrests, prosecutions and jail. People will talk about corruption prevention on international 
Investigation doesn't prevent the cows from being stolen.  Brian Pinkowski
Investigation doesn’t prevent the cows from being stolen. Brian Pinkowski
development projects, but it seems to be pushed aside in favor of the sexier efforts to prosecute and convict criminals.  In other words, corruption prevention gets pushed aside in favor of basic law enforcement capacity building.
While the law enforcement skills are essential, they don’t really PREVENT much corruption.
This is also true within private corporations.
After having given the presentation over 200 times to public and private sectors audiences, I decided to create a few short videos to help anticorruption tools as they explain some of the more basic concepts in anticorruption.  The first video is 6 minutes and discusses application of the dictionary definition of the words “Corrupt” and “Corruption.”
Follow-up videos discuss application of the terms to individuals, groups and societies.
The videos can help where you have access to internet, but the material in the videos is basic enough to be communicated with a stick in the dirt (as I have done on more than one occasion).
I have the transcript in English and Arabic, and am having the material developed in other languages with the help of my colleagues.
Results have been quite good with sophisticated audiences such as prosecutors, and with people with weak literacy skills.  I welcome your use of the material.
If you want to become more involved in fighting corruption go to Brian's blog



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