Today I just discovered ipaidabribe.com, a unique initiative to tackle corruption by harnessing the collective energy of citizens in India. People can report on the nature, number, pattern, types, location, frequency and values of actual corrupt acts on this website. The reports will, perhaps for the first time, provide a snapshot of bribes occurring across Indian cities and states. The initiative is backed by Janagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, a non-profit organisation based in Bangalore, India. It works with citizens and the government to improve the quality of life in Indian cities and towns. Founded in 2001 by Ramesh Ramanathan and Swati Ramanathan, Janaagraha started as a movement to enable citizen participation in public governance. It has now evolved into a robust institution for Citizenship and Democracy.
I Paid a Bribe will use the reports to argue for improving governance systems and procedures, tightening law enforcement and regulation and thereby reduce the scope for corruption in obtaining services from the Indian government. The site invite people to register any recent or old bribes paid, but does NOT ask for their name or phone details, so people can feel free to report on the formats provided.
In Italiano:
I Paid a Bribe è una pagina collaborativa “Made in India”, in cui si invitano le persone che hanno subito un tentativo di corruzione, andato o meno a buon fine, di segnalarlo geolocalizzandolo sulla mappa, permettendo di raccogliere statistiche e contrastare il reato. Il sito collaborativo è frutto dell’impegno della fondazione Janagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, un’organizzazione senza fini di lucro con base a Bangalore, India ed è a fianco dei cittadini (ma anche delle autorità governative) per migliorare la qualità di vita nelle città e nei villaggi del paese. Notevole uso degli strumenti del Web 2.0, non c’è che dire.
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