The Hindu Business Line : The corruption-efficiency trade-off

Releasing a bookby a government official recently, Mr Azad remarked that the most corrupt bureaucrats are usually quite efficient while the honest tend to be inefficient.

Although the off-the-cuff remark might seem outlandish on the face of it, it did provide food for thought.

Is there a link between corruption and efficiency? One explanation could be that the corrupt might put in extra effort to cover their tracks and curry favour with their bosses, who might well turn a Nelson's eye to their misdemeanours, perhaps offsetting them against their contribution to the company.

Although far-fetched, the idea cannot be dismissed as preposterous.

But the reverse — that the honest bureaucrat is necessarily a drone, not pulling his weight — certainly does not carry conviction.

Mr Azad has also added fuel to the fire by saying that those who are honest are not so by conviction but only by compulsion. Whether all these pronouncements will set the cat among the pigeons and raise a hullabaloo, is one question but what is more vital is whether dishonesty and corruption can be condoned if the official concerned is otherwise a valuable asset to his organisation.

In a country that has drawn a lot of flak for its corruption levels, there can be no two opinions that corruption in any form deserves to be condemned outright. What use is it if someone is efficient but bleeds the institution and the nation through his corrupt actions?

Can he assuage his conscience by weighing his efficiency on the same scale as corruption and come to the conclusion that he deserves kudos and not opprobrium?

At a macro level, it can be safely presumed that what the country really needs is honesty. Efficiency can be brought about if one puts his heart and soul into a job, but corruption can have a contaminating influence and certainly needs to be weeded out.

There have been umpteen cases of bureaucrats who, all through their service, have been deemed most efficient but have been found to have accumulated assets grossly disproportionate to their known sources of income and put their reputation at stake by their nefarious acts.

The corrupt certainly deserve no sympathy, least of all in a country like India, which can ill afford the menace.

(The author is a Chennai-based freelance writer.)

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