giovedì 18 febbraio 2010

A Great Discovery: Corruption in Italy

In these days one issue is occupying great media attention in Italy: corruption. What incredible news!!

First of all, the scandal of the Italian Civil Protection: corruption, bribes, sex affaires around natural disasters, G8 summit's organization, entrepreneurs, public administrators, politicians...

Secondly, the diffusion of recent data about fiscal evasion in Italy: in Italy 1 on 3 taxpayers is a tax evasor.

Thirdly, the recent report of the Financial Court about the soaring of corruption in Italy. Corruption is widespreading everywhere in Italy.

I can't believe it!

These news are now at the core of any public and media debate in Italy with a rather scandalist tone. I say "rather" because only a fool may believe that all this is effectively surprising. Corruption is a so well known reality in Italy: also children know what corruption exactly is.

In this blog I have discussed about corruption in Italy so many times: I have nothing more to say and I'm quite tired to repeat the same things every time. Please read my previous posts about it to save time.

Yet, I'm still surprised by the fact that no one is surprised. No one is protesting. Reports, data, numbers, etc. do not produce any remarkable effect. In addition, those politicians who are the main cause of this condition continues to obtain large consensus and votes. People continue to vote those politicians who are responsible for corruption, the devastation of public education, health, environment, etc. Despite these facts (often causing high costs in economic, social and life terms), they continue to obtain our votes.

Why? This is a sort of masochism and the result of a perverse relation between civil society and politics in Italy. This masochism is finally a real humus where corruption can easily grow. Do not forget that the arrogance, oscenity, vulgarity, greed and squalor of these men do not provoke disdain in many italians: they stimulate envy.

There is a final aspect of the issue. The main target of this corruption wave is essentially the italian public sector as a whole. Maybe the scenario depicted by media in these days is based on real and true facts but I disagree with the conclusions one may make. I mean that these accusations may represent at the end an additional contribution to that defamatory campaign against public services at present in progress in Italy. This campaign is essentially directed to destroy public services for the benefit of private sectors. I would like to remind that corruption in the public sector in Italy is always placed in the muddy relations between public managers and politicians. Clear examples of it are in fact infrastrucutres, health, university, etc. Above all the base on which the corruption system is mainly founded is the "adverse selection" mechanism or the wrong person (often choosen by some politician) in the wrong place.

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