highlander1

Well, good to know that Italy is not worse than Swaziland !

2014 Corruption Perceptions Index -- Results

HADENOUGHPIZZA

But they collected the data before the scandal in Rome ..

sunnysider

I suppose one should maybe take comfort from the fact that it hasn't got significantly worse.

I have seen in Italy graffiti quoting Transparency International. Also the research on press freedom. There are some pretty educated graffiti artists in Italy

Maybe1day

When I actually worked in Italy at quite a high level in the telecoms industry ( 15 yrs ago?). I was pleasantly surprised to not come across corruption. I had been in Eastern Europe, Turkey and worst of all Austria where there are still ongoing criminal proceedings against certain companies and individuals. At the local level though in Liguria corruption was normal practice and from what I hear from relations not much has changed even today. To my mind the local townhalls are where it all starts and involves the local law enforcement agencies too. Strange that the local mayors all have very strong connections to the construction industry or is this the norm?

modicasa

There is corruption everywhere, it's only more visible at local level. You only have to look at Finmeccanica for example - the biggest company in Italy to see that. Any company that has anything to do with the state will have some level of corruption. Of course there's Corruption and corruption..

MarkRD

I just feel sorry for all those taxpayers in the comune of Rome ... all their money gobbled up by the so-called "mafia" .. .

It couldn't happen here.

sunnysider

A very reasonable post.

Telecoms was referred to above - it's my impression that corruption was often a big issue in international telecoms contracts. Doubtless justified by some of the Brit companies on the basis that they were flogging stuff to corrupt places where to not indulge in this would mean that they were dealing with one hand behind their back compared to the competition.

Defence contracts another massive area - involves Britain of course - that appalling case a few years ago being pursued by the serious fraud office where Blair stepped in to squash their investigation.

I am assuming that that index takes all that into account, which still leaves Italy in an appalling overall position. Before anyone goes off on one it's my understanding that from numerous surveys Italians themselves think the country is very corrupt.

But their family is different.

Maybe1day

I was talking about the National level and it was a private operator that was taken over by a UK operator a year later, easy to work out who. I was surprised especially as I was based in the Southern half of Italy. Any hint of any dodgy dealings was jumped on immediately. Elsewhere in Europe we had no choice but to work with the local "M" or interests of large national companies. Just eg. Austria, Czech rep, Lituania it was quite open and in Poland even the courts upheld dodgy dealings especially against foreign service/goods providers.

Sunnysider, your last line is where the problem starts.

I was amazed to hear on the news the other day that Italians spend hundreds of hour queuing at official offices, and it was mentioned that they have to get up at dawn and go to "Buy" a ticket for the queue. Shameful admission.

Blackey_Oz

after living in Vegas for seven years(until '96), examples of corruption there were just so beautifully blatantly woven into the open an never questioned.
When I mentioned the word there once, my boss and good friend(old Jewish/Italian ex-gangster come car dealer) spun around on his heels and educated me...
"No such thing in Vegas, it's just the grease we apply to the axle of life"
BTW, Australia is well versed as well, check our police farce, mining industry & politicians. Whoooa