The system of corruption: when you don't understand "systems", of corruption or anything else, you don't understand outcomes

The Post "analyses" of the recent allegations of corruption in Prince George's County--culminating in the arrest and release of County Executive Jack Johnson and his wife, Councilman-elect Leslie Johnson--by columnists Robert McCartnery ("Prince George's must talk straight about corruption after Jack Johnson's arrest") and Colbert King ("In Prince George's, corruption's long shadows") are damnably frustrating, because unlike my analysis of a few days ago, they don't focus on the way the "system" is designed to foster political, not market, "entrepreneurialism" in the quest for approvals and contracts.

My post, "Corruption: DC vs. Maryland jurisdictions," focused on defects in the approval processes for zoning and development approvals, tax abatements (in D.C.), and contracts, which vests extranormal participation and authority upon elected officials, and this becomes particularly tempting for the Growth Machine/interested parties in ensuring what they want through corrupt or at the very least, unethical practices.

The answers are screaming at them. But since newspapers in particular among the media are leading elements in the Growth Machine (see "Sport News in the Local Media - Green Bay Packers' Return to Glory" from The Sport Journal) it should be no surprise that they can't see it. (Also see the discussion of this topic in Urban Fortunes: The Political Economy of Place, pages 70-73.)

It's still disappointing though.

It reminds me of a couple lyrics in the Talking Heads song* "Psychokiller":

I can't seem to face up to the facts.

... and

You're talking a lot, but you're not saying anything.

As the blog entry "Today's news is yesterday's news" from 2006 makes the point, this is a repetitive cycle.

By saying the same old s***, nothing really changes.

The problem is at the heart, the system of corruption and that is what needs to change, And as this blog entry, "The travelogue of the world's Corrupt Cities includes DC, what does that say about us?" makes clear.

Until the processes change, the outcomes will continue to be shaded by corruption and unethical practices.

I recommend Corrupt Cities: A Practical Guide to Cure and Prevention (originally suggested to me by EE.)

From the description of the book

Corrupt Cities is a practical guide to assist in the diagnosis, investigation and prevention of various kinds of corruption. Bringing together both a conceptual and practical framework, the publication is designed for citizens and public officials, especially at the municipal level. The approach presented discourages more controls, more laws and more bureaucracy, while focusing on systematic corruption and its preventive measurers. It encourages consideration of the economic costs of corruption, rather than moral or ethical factors, as the driving force behind anti-corruption efforts. It also emphasises that "fighting corruption should not be considered an end in itself, but an orienting principle for reforming urban administration."

The arguments put forth are supported by examples of anti-corruption strategies, particularly from Hong Kong and La Paz. The publication also includes practical tips to adapt these strategies to difficult scenarios, for example, in cities/communities characterised by political indifference, bureaucratic inertia, and where citizen support may exist but is yet to be mobilised.

Chapter 3, "Corruption as a System" starts on page 31. As it says on page 32:

Corruption equals monopoly plus discretion of public officials minus accountability.

Chapter 3 describes the system; Chapter 4 is on diagnosis of specific corrupt systems and situations; Chapters 4 and 5 are on overcoming bureaucratic resistance to honesty; and Chapter 5 is on creating a sequenced plan of action to heal corrupted systems, rupture a culture of cynicism, build political momentum and transform city government.

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* if recent car and other commercials can use songs as much as 42 years old (the "Yummy, Yummy" song by the 1910 Fruitgum Company is from when I was 8 or 9 years old), I can reference the Talking Heads