[pelle]

I live in Nicaragua. While this is strictly speaking corruption, it is a very democratic form of corruption. In the US corruption is a sport mainly enjoyed by the rich.

I like the term malleable as it describes it much better than the black and white world of corrupt or not.

Here in Nicaragua it is part of what makes the country work and prices are at a level that most people can be part of it.

Living police salaries are luxuries for rich countries. Nicaraguan police are pretty honest and effective, just look at our crime rates that are well below the region.

If they charge someone an "on the spot" negotiable fine it is something most people accept as long as it's not outrageous. Is it ideal? No. But it's probably better than most other alternatives for a country at this level of economic development.

[astine]

"While this is strictly speaking corruption, it is a very democratic form of corruption."

If the police are for sale, then they are for sale to the highest bidder. If the prices seem reasonable to you, it's only because your aren't being outbid by someone significantly wealthier.

"just look at our crime rates that are well below the region."

Is crime lower, or just the reporting?

[pelle]

Crime is lower. The few gangs that are here don't really spread outside their barrios like they do in just about every other country in Central America.

http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/10/28/359612148/w...

You say: "If the prices seem reasonable to you, it's only because your aren't being outbid by someone significantly wealthier."

Thats not what Nicaragua is like. It's not the wild west. It's a pretty quiet traditional country with a fair amount of trust. Again compared to other countries in the region, not with say Denmark or Sweden.

There was recently a police killing of an innocent family in a botched drug raid. It became a really big deal and the police, president bowed over to try to make things better. Not that that excuses things, but it's a hell of a lot better than what happens in the US.

It is very difficult to view normal life in the second poorest country in the western hemisphere with the moral compass or glasses of middle-class US. Things are very different here.

[hugh4]

>It is very difficult to view normal life in the second poorest country in the western hemisphere with the moral compass or glasses of middle-class US. Things are very different here.

Perhaps. But tolerance of "low-level" corruption is one of those things which causes Nigaragua to be the second-poorest country in the western hemisphere. The values of the middle-class US are a big part part of what made the US the richest country in the western hemisphere.

[pelle]

There are many things that keeps Nicaragua poor, this is hardly the most important one. Similar low level corruption is found all over Latin America except for perhaps Chile. It disappears once countries have been middle class for a while.

[sokoloff]

How does one square "Nicaraguan police are pretty honest" with "they regularly pocket cash bribes to not enforce the laws, because living police salaries are luxuries for rich countries"?

It doesn't seem like a terrible system in practice, but it sure doesn't seem remotely "honest".

[pelle]

It is said often that the police in many cities in the US are mainly focused on revenue generation. Whether this is true or not I don't know. But if it is, it is no more honest than when a police officer earning $250/m asks $4 for an on the spot fine instead of the $20 and half a day lost trying to pay it officially.

[ChuckMcM]

What is your take on the canal? Its pretty clear that the Panama canal provides a lot of economic value for Panama (from tourism to transit fees). Do you think the country as a whole sees it as a good thing? bad thing? just another thing?

[pelle]

If they succeed in building it, it will no doubt have a strong economic effect on the country.

Right now there is a lot of tourist investment in the same area that the he mentions in the article. An ecological disaster could hurt the growth in that area, but it might open up the whole Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, which is very difficult to get to now.

Most educated people here are doubtful about the success of it. The majority of the country is not very well educated and buy most of the Sandinista propaganda about the canal. The main exception are poor farmers in the affected areas who have been demonstrating against it.

Nicaraguans are normally very open to foreigners, but even I've heard many mostly poor people worried by the headlines of 10,000 Chinese workers being needed.

[mc32]

I've heard from people from countries like this where someone involved in say a vehicular manslaughter incident/DWI, can make the incident "go away" with a bit of money. I don't mean going thru courts or civil judgements, I mean, simply making the case go away altogether.