In 2010, a report from the European Research Centre for Anti-Corruption and State-Building asked “how corrupt in Hungary?” To spare you a read of the lengthy paper, let’s just say their conclusion was, well, “very”. On some estimates, the country’s black market amounts to almost a fifth of its GDP; businesspeople say that corruption fees or bribes make up anywhere between 3 and 25 per cent of any given transaction.
Luckily, these days you can build an app for everything. This piece on the world news site Pangea Today reports that a new Hungarian smartphone app allows residents to find out how expensive a civic project was, how much it cost, and where the money came from.
Users can browse a library of cases, and view specific projects as pins on a map:
The app was created by K-Monitor, a civilian watchdog organisation hoping to raise awareness of corruption in public funds spending.
Indonesia’s government also introduced an anti-corruption app this year, though that one relies on games and educational materials. Users visit a virtual theme park where they are taught how to avoid paying or receive pribes; afterwards, they take a short quiz. Fun for all the family.
According to a spokesman for the country’s corruption eradication commission, the app was inspired by the belief that many Indonesians aren’t aware of what constiutes corrupt business practices. He told The Guardian:
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Many state officials and entrepreneurs are not aware that giving gifts and free services constitutes corruption and is an offence.
Presumably, though, the true extent of their knowledge is a little hard to measure. We’d probably feign ignorance if we were caught paying a bribe, too.
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