Corruption is on the run. Or so we like to think. A high-visibility campaign to end the tendency of governments and businesses to look the other way has had results. Unfortunately, old habits die hard. Corruption may be under attack, but it is still too prevalent, its toll too high.
Corruption is a blight. That seems obvious. It saps a nation's strength, tarnishes its image, divides rich and poor, and erodes respect for the law. Yet for years, economists argued that corruption actually served a useful purpose. They asserted that it allowed businesses to sidestep government inefficiencies. Executives were too happy to accept that rationalization. They paid off whoever held out a palm, dismissing complaints as misplaced moralism, an inability to accept cultural differences or naivete about the way the world really works. Governments played along, permitting companies to write off such payments as legitimate business expenses.
Those views are changing. Transparency International, a nongovernmental organization, has led the fight against corruption. It has been joined -- belatedly -- by other international organizations that have shrugged off their preference for looking the other way. A report released this week explains why such studied indifference can no longer be tolerated.