A filmmaker and a crooked lawyer shattered Denmark's self-image

In the third world, corruption is very open from the clerk in a local revenue office to the top ministers/secretaries. There is a price for every service.

In the West, it is hard to see low-level corruption (bribes for services) in offices. However, corruption takes form in the shape of collusion; and this collusion is pretty much legal. Revolving door, consultants, lobbyists, conflicts of interests, setting up NGOs to grab money from the govt, offering sinecure jobs like advisors, directors, etc for friends and family--these are some strategies to do unethical yet legal stuff in the West.

I was just listening to a talk by Stephen Kotkin were he mentioned corruption. He said corruption is not binary. Instead, it's a continuum. The question is how much of the money a public servant spends will actually end up in the desired outcome. In China, he said, maybe 20% will end up in the pockets of the public servant while the other 80% is spent on the road. In Nigeria, he said, everything will go to the servant and there will be no road.

Source: https://youtu.be/ZD8BhZEJcjI at around 1:00:00.

No conflict, no interest.

In Canada you can just steal public funds if you're in the government with complete immunity. Set up a government program to support X (ex - greeness, gender education in congo, studying a random worm somewhere in asia, etc), then just transfer the funds directly to your own companies, and the companies of your friends and family [1]. We had like 5 major corruption scandals in the last 2 years - basically zero repercussions for those involved.

If you pick the right reason/name for X - anyone who crticises you can also automatically be labelled racist, dumb, fascist or whatever as well.

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_Development_Tech...

This continuum hides one thing: overbidding in terms of project cost and underdelivery in terms of quality. At least in US, quality is maintained, while costing 300% more (look at any subway, rail projects). In the third world, projects are overbid, also underdeliver in terms of quality. No quality control at all.

> it's a continuum

Corruption is multidimensional. There's the size. There's the nature of the parties involved. There's the question of whether it's legal or illegal - which itself as a continuum as my lawyer girlfriend always reminds me