« The ice thaws in credit markets | Main | Is the low Fed Funds rate to blame? »
Bulgarian corruption markets in everything
According to corruption fighters and election observers, votes can be traded, depending on the town, for marijuana cigarettes or sold for up to 100 leva, or $69. People document their votes by taking pictures of their ballots with their cellphone cameras, according to Iva Pushkarova, executive director of the Bulgarian Judges Association.
Trust, then verify, as they say. In fact you can't trust the government either, so that requires a market in "decoy lawyers":
While corruption affects many corners of society, the impact is particularly stark in the legal system, where some people without political connections have resorted to hiring decoy lawyers, for fear that their legal documents would vanish if presented to particular clerks by lawyers recognized as working for them.
I cannot find a comparable concept of "decoy lawyers" in English-language Google. There is yet another market:
Sofia has a thriving black market for blood outside hospitals, where patients’ families haggle over purchases with dealers, according to Bulgarian news reports that track the prices.
Here is the article. I thank KB and also Stephen (check out his blog at the link) for the pointer.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on October 20, 2008 at 10:29 PM in Law, Political Science | Permalink
Comments
I spent three hours in Sofia, and I was stolen from once and attempted thievery a second time, just walking through the streets.
A den of corruption. Don't go near the place.
Posted by: Barry Kelly at Oct 21, 2008 2:00:42 AM
Don't we have this in the US? I could have sworn at least one of the candidates promised me a bunch on money if I voted for him; it wasn't his money, but still...
Posted by: josh at Oct 21, 2008 7:30:58 AM
Your readers might interesting in the story about online vote swapping in the recent Canadian election.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/09/17/vote-swapping.html
Not quite a market, but at least a trade.
Posted by: michael webster at Oct 21, 2008 9:02:12 AM
For personal reasons I am spending about 1-2 weeks per year in Bulgaria, mostly in Sofia, but also in the various mountain ranges and occasionally at the sea.
Let me assure you that nothing has ever been stolen from me, nor has any such attempt ever been undertaken. Bulgaria is a beautiful country and a prime tourist destination for Germans and Brits, and street crime is definitely not a big problem. I have a very tough time believing Barry Kelly's story from above.
Corruption and organized crime, on the other hand, are very serious problems.
Posted by: Commenterlein at Oct 21, 2008 11:39:37 AM
Several years ago I read a blog post or a quoted op-ed by a Bulgarian journalist strongly advising against Bulgaria's membership in the EU precisely because of the fact that they did not clean up the corruption. The EU Commission gave Bulgaria and Romania a free pass hoping that the problem fixes itself. It never does.
The EU membership prospect was a strong incentive to demand institutional reforms. Since they are now in the club, they do not have to put in any effort. It's just like tenure.
Whatever the hosts here might think, some things should not be free for sale in markets. When they are, this signifies institutional failure.
Posted by: Oskar Shapley at Oct 21, 2008 12:03:46 PM
I spent the first 19 years of my life in Sofia (I'm now 22). I don't buy Barry's story about "I just walked around and they stole my stuff twice." That doesn't happen in Sofia unless at the usual shady places each bigger city has (dark and deserted parks and alleys, etc).
Perhaps he thinks Barry was ripped off for something and he's surprised and angry. That can happen to tourists everywhere if they're not careful.
As any impartial unbiased tourist will tell you, it's great fun visiting Bulgaria. We could definitely use a bit more signs and instructions in English around the country though. Also I'm sure every impartial and unbiased businessman will tell you not to run your business there yet. :-(
Posted by: Nikolay at Oct 21, 2008 12:37:29 PM
I'm living in Sofia right now, and second what Nikolay said. You take the same precautions as you have to as a tourist anywhere. Of course, my house looks like Fort Knox with the bars on all the windows and doors, and we have an alarm system installed. But it's a very beautiful country, and it would be a shame if they can't clean up their act.
Posted by: Jean at Oct 22, 2008 2:13:46 AM
Canada's Dirty Laundry. To: pm@pm.gc.ca ; Harper.S@parl.gc.ca
Cc: Mackap@parl.gc.ca ; Nicholson.R@parl.gc.ca ; bairdj@parl.gc.ca
Sent: Monday, October 27, 2008 12:35 PM
Subject: Supreme CT Judges & RCMP Deputy Chief Comm. pay Hooker, NL.
Supreme Court Judges, Politicians and RCMP are in a position of " Conflict of Interest" in this case of Child Rape, Incest, Abuse and Legal System Persecution in Newfoundland. Their names and why are evident on Harrietts Customer List at this Website; http://maxpages.com/sexualabuse If this is allowed to continue, our Canadian Democracy is Dead.
Posted by: Byron Prior at Oct 30, 2008 8:22:34 PM
