中國什麼人最愛索賄﹖
在
中國﹐什麼樣的人最愛索要賄賂﹖根據最近的一項方法不盡科學的調查來看﹐答案是那些許諾辦事結果不會有麻煩的政府官員。總 部位於馬里蘭州的企業反賄賂非盈利組織Trace International週二發表了一項調查的相關結果。該調查項目名為Business Registry for International Bribery and Extortion（簡稱Bribeline）。這項調查搜集了截至6月30日的一年時間里人們主動提交到項目網站上的數據。該組織將在接下來的幾個月陸 續公佈其他更多國家的數據。
Trace International的數據存在一定缺陷。接受調查者除了默認腐敗是個問題之外沒有其他選擇﹐因為調查沒有給參與者提供一個聲明他們不曾被要求行賄 的選項。為鼓勵人們參與﹐調查設計成匿名式﹐因此不能避免參與調查者重複參加的可能性。Trace表示﹐它第一年收到的148份網上調查有重要的統計意 義。
Trace總裁亞歷山德拉•瑞吉(Alexandra Wrage)說﹐有關中國的初步結果顯示﹐受訪者提到的行賄案54%都屬於應“不合理要求”﹐也就是行賄人為預防發生服務不能及時到位等有害後果而做出 的。調查顯示﹐只有20%是出於“互利”的考慮作出的安排﹐比如為獲得新合同被對方索要賄賂。
瑞吉還指出﹐調查搜集到的賄賂有85%的案例索賄人是與政府有關的人士。索賄人提出的要求大部分是現金﹐但金額懸殊很大。有大約五分之一的受訪者稱﹐他們被索賄的次數超過100次。
中國政府並不諱言腐敗已成為一個普遍性問題﹐並在官方媒體上多次承諾要改善商業環境﹐也處理了多起官員腐敗案。今年4月份﹐中央政府公佈了一個反腐敗五年計劃﹐去年還成立了國家預防腐敗局。中國還簽署了《聯合國反腐敗公約》。
去年﹐在透明國際(Transparency International)的全球貪腐印象報告中﹐中國的廉潔程度在179個國家中排在第72位。
Trace 的調查結果有一個明顯的“空缺”﹐那就是與北京奧運會有關的賄賂。瑞吉說﹐她仔細察看了資料﹐以便看到有無受訪者認為是與奧運會有關的賄賂行為﹐因為在其 他主辦國﹐大規模建設活動往往會滋生腐敗。她說﹕我找了一下﹐沒看到這方面的內容。（不過﹐中國2006年免除了北京市一位參與奧運建設工程的副市長的職 務﹐此人被控有腐敗行為。）
出席Trace午餐會的通用電氣(General Electric Co.)駐香港律師凱利•奧斯汀(Kelly Austin)說﹐從反腐敗方面來說﹐地球是平的。也就是說﹐各個國家在反腐敗法規方面都是相似的。她舉例說﹐中國這方面的法規與美國的《海外反腐敗法》 沒有明顯的不同。
奧斯汀說﹐通用將參考這份最新調查結果。她說﹐這份數據將幫助我們有效制定在中國和其他國家的合規計劃。
James T. Areddy
Tracing the Roots of Corruption
Who in China is most likely to request a bribe? A government official promising a trouble-free outcome, according to one unscientific survey.
Trace International, a Maryland-based non-profit anti-bribery business association, on Tuesday published data from a project it calls Business Registry for International Bribery and Extortion, or Bribeline. The data were collected over the year ended June 30 from voluntary submissions to its online Bribeline service, which operates in 21 languages. The organization will publish data on more countries in coming months.
The Trace data have shortcomings. Respondents have little choice but to say corruption is a problem since it offers no way for a participant to say they haven't been solicited for a bribe. The system is purposely anonymous in order to encourage entries, so it doesn't prevent respondents from posting their experiences multiple times. Trace says the findings of 148 entries it logged in the first year are statistically significant.
The early China findings show 54% of bribes described by respondents were 'extortionate demands,' or requests to avoid a harmful outcome such as untimely delivery of service, said Trace President Alexandra Wrage. Only 20% related to a 'mutually beneficial' arrangement, such as bribes solicited in exchange for gaining new business, according to the survey.
Also, she noted, 85% of bribes reported in the study were solicited by individuals associated with the government. The request was most often for cash, but amounts fell within a wide range. About one-fifth of respondents said they had been solicited for a bribe more than 100 times.
China's government doesn't shy away from accusations that corruption is an endemic problem, with repeated pledges through state media to clean up the business environment and multiple cases of officials being punished for corrupt acts. In April, the Communist Party unveiled a new five year anti-corruption plan and last year the government established a National Bureau of Corruption Prevention. It has also signed the United Nations Convention Against Corruption.
Last year, China ranked 72nd best of 179 countries on Transparency International's ranking of perceived corruption.
Notably absent from Trace's findings was bribery associated with the Summer Olympics. Ms. Wrage said she pored over data for any sign respondents had seen bribery associated with the Games, since sizable construction contracts have tended to breed corruption in other host countries. 'I looked for it, and it wasn't there,' she said. (In 2006, China fired a vice mayor of Beijing who was involved in Olympics construction on corruption charges).
Kelly Austin, a Hong Kong based attorney for General Electric Co. who participated in Trace launch, said 'the world is very flat these days from an anti-corruption perspective,' meaning the rules in particular countries are similar. For instance, she said, China's rules aren't markedly different from the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Ms. Austin said GE will use the new data tools. 'The data will help us more effectively tailor our compliance programs' for China and other countries, she said.
Trace International, a Maryland-based non-profit anti-bribery business association, on Tuesday published data from a project it calls Business Registry for International Bribery and Extortion, or Bribeline. The data were collected over the year ended June 30 from voluntary submissions to its online Bribeline service, which operates in 21 languages. The organization will publish data on more countries in coming months.
The Trace data have shortcomings. Respondents have little choice but to say corruption is a problem since it offers no way for a participant to say they haven't been solicited for a bribe. The system is purposely anonymous in order to encourage entries, so it doesn't prevent respondents from posting their experiences multiple times. Trace says the findings of 148 entries it logged in the first year are statistically significant.
The early China findings show 54% of bribes described by respondents were 'extortionate demands,' or requests to avoid a harmful outcome such as untimely delivery of service, said Trace President Alexandra Wrage. Only 20% related to a 'mutually beneficial' arrangement, such as bribes solicited in exchange for gaining new business, according to the survey.
Also, she noted, 85% of bribes reported in the study were solicited by individuals associated with the government. The request was most often for cash, but amounts fell within a wide range. About one-fifth of respondents said they had been solicited for a bribe more than 100 times.
China's government doesn't shy away from accusations that corruption is an endemic problem, with repeated pledges through state media to clean up the business environment and multiple cases of officials being punished for corrupt acts. In April, the Communist Party unveiled a new five year anti-corruption plan and last year the government established a National Bureau of Corruption Prevention. It has also signed the United Nations Convention Against Corruption.
Last year, China ranked 72nd best of 179 countries on Transparency International's ranking of perceived corruption.
Notably absent from Trace's findings was bribery associated with the Summer Olympics. Ms. Wrage said she pored over data for any sign respondents had seen bribery associated with the Games, since sizable construction contracts have tended to breed corruption in other host countries. 'I looked for it, and it wasn't there,' she said. (In 2006, China fired a vice mayor of Beijing who was involved in Olympics construction on corruption charges).
Kelly Austin, a Hong Kong based attorney for General Electric Co. who participated in Trace launch, said 'the world is very flat these days from an anti-corruption perspective,' meaning the rules in particular countries are similar. For instance, she said, China's rules aren't markedly different from the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Ms. Austin said GE will use the new data tools. 'The data will help us more effectively tailor our compliance programs' for China and other countries, she said.
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