Bribery is the act of offering a gift, in cash or kind, to influence or manipulate a decision in one’s favour. Bribery is widespread but it appears to be quite the accepted way of life in some countries. A World Bank survey of about 3,600 businesses showed that 40% were paying bribes in 69 countries. It estimates that bribery accounts for 10-20% of contracts worldwide.

Corruption needs two parties to be corrupt: the bribe giver and the bribe taker. In some countries the culture of corruption extends to every aspect of public life, making it more or less impossible to stay in business without giving bribes.

Some instances of bribery…

A motorist may bribe a police officer not to issue a ticket for speeding, a citizen seeking paperwork or utility line connections may bribe a functionary for faster service, a construction company may bribe a civil servant to award a contract, and so on.