Bolivian anti-corruption model for municipalities
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Çınar Kiper
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Kasım 22, 2008 00:00
ISTANBUL - As mayor, he was able to turn around non-functional La Paz, he is now one of the leading global figures in the fight against corruption and tackles the issue through market-like principles. Seeing corruption as a development issue rather than one to address with a police force, his model is now being implemented in pilot countries throughout Southeast Europe
The traditional method of addressing urban corruption using command and control techniques is ineffective, according to one prominent anti-corruption advocate who says the problem should instead be dealt with by a re-organization of the entire municipal structure.
Ronald MacLean Abaroa, four-time mayor of La Paz and co-author of the book, "Corrupt Cities Ğ A Practical Guide to Cure and Prevention," is a leading figure in the global fight against corruption.
He is a founding member of the anti-corruption group Transparency International, which recently opened its Turkey chapter, and is currently working for the World Bank Institute. He was in Turkey to attend a World Bank conference, "Cities without Corruption," and spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News about his successful methods of tackling urban corruption.
Symptom, not the cause
Abaroa tackles corruption on a municipal and local government level, a powerful alternative to the more traditional approach of policing and prosecuting suspected corrupt officials. This method was the cornerstone of his success in reforming the barely functional city of La Paz back in the 1980s.
The World Bank has been replicating similar programs in Central Europe for the past four years and is currently seeking a partner in Turkey to implement a similar program. The conference location had more to do with luck than a push to increase Turkey’s involvement.
"We were going to hold our conference in Romania, the pilot country for our program, but as Romania has joined the European Union, it has become very difficult for some of the non-EU member countries to get visas," Abaroa told the Daily News.
Abaroa said most people engaged in anti-corruption work have a law and order, or command and control approach, which focuses on the criminals. "That is important and there is a role for that, but when you are a mayor, you have a different kind of job," he said. Stating that corruption is a symptom rather than a cause, he attributes the cause of corruption to structural problems.
"There is a certain kind of organizational structure in countries which contain widespread and systemic corruption. Their institutions are characterized by a monopoly in decision-making," he said. His formula for corruption is simple; it’s rooted in a monopoly in decision-making and a culture of discretion without any system of accountability. "For the mayor, corruption is a development issue, not a task for the police."
He has a free-market solution to the corruption problem; privatize many state functions and create market-based checks and balances with a decentralization of services. "In many cases, where the state grows too big and it takes on a number of functions, people are badly paid and the state does not have the budget to cover all the services, so people wind up extorting citizens," he said.
NGOs a critical component
Abaroa said his program usually works with mayors and local governments, as they are the closest link between the state and its citizens. "You reform the supply side, which is the municipality, but you also try to empower citizens to demand and know their rights, and know how to provide feedback to the city," he said.
The program in Eastern Europe is a long-term, five- to 10-year program. The first thing the program does when arriving in a municipality is identify nongovernmental organizations, or NGOs, and foundations interested in addressing these problems. These organizations then mostly work in advocacy, educating citizens and getting them to take action against corruption.
Another cause of corruption is weak government and NGOs working with municipalities also help mayors address this problem.
They also provide training to future trainers, who facilitate others in assisting governments to identify areas where there is discretion and a lack of accountability. Currently there are six countries in Central Europe with active programs and the World Bank is constantly increasing its involvement in the project.
Ronald MacLean Abaroa, four-time mayor of La Paz and co-author of the book, "Corrupt Cities Ğ A Practical Guide to Cure and Prevention," is a leading figure in the global fight against corruption.
He is a founding member of the anti-corruption group Transparency International, which recently opened its Turkey chapter, and is currently working for the World Bank Institute. He was in Turkey to attend a World Bank conference, "Cities without Corruption," and spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News about his successful methods of tackling urban corruption.
Symptom, not the cause
Abaroa tackles corruption on a municipal and local government level, a powerful alternative to the more traditional approach of policing and prosecuting suspected corrupt officials. This method was the cornerstone of his success in reforming the barely functional city of La Paz back in the 1980s.
The World Bank has been replicating similar programs in Central Europe for the past four years and is currently seeking a partner in Turkey to implement a similar program. The conference location had more to do with luck than a push to increase Turkey’s involvement.
"We were going to hold our conference in Romania, the pilot country for our program, but as Romania has joined the European Union, it has become very difficult for some of the non-EU member countries to get visas," Abaroa told the Daily News.
Abaroa said most people engaged in anti-corruption work have a law and order, or command and control approach, which focuses on the criminals. "That is important and there is a role for that, but when you are a mayor, you have a different kind of job," he said. Stating that corruption is a symptom rather than a cause, he attributes the cause of corruption to structural problems.
"There is a certain kind of organizational structure in countries which contain widespread and systemic corruption. Their institutions are characterized by a monopoly in decision-making," he said. His formula for corruption is simple; it’s rooted in a monopoly in decision-making and a culture of discretion without any system of accountability. "For the mayor, corruption is a development issue, not a task for the police."
He has a free-market solution to the corruption problem; privatize many state functions and create market-based checks and balances with a decentralization of services. "In many cases, where the state grows too big and it takes on a number of functions, people are badly paid and the state does not have the budget to cover all the services, so people wind up extorting citizens," he said.
NGOs a critical component
Abaroa said his program usually works with mayors and local governments, as they are the closest link between the state and its citizens. "You reform the supply side, which is the municipality, but you also try to empower citizens to demand and know their rights, and know how to provide feedback to the city," he said.
The program in Eastern Europe is a long-term, five- to 10-year program. The first thing the program does when arriving in a municipality is identify nongovernmental organizations, or NGOs, and foundations interested in addressing these problems. These organizations then mostly work in advocacy, educating citizens and getting them to take action against corruption.
Another cause of corruption is weak government and NGOs working with municipalities also help mayors address this problem.
They also provide training to future trainers, who facilitate others in assisting governments to identify areas where there is discretion and a lack of accountability. Currently there are six countries in Central Europe with active programs and the World Bank is constantly increasing its involvement in the project.