Difference between revisions of "Bustarella (Italy)"

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|style="font-size:1.1em;"| ''Bustarella'' is the diminutive of the word ‘''busta''’ (envelope), and may be translated literally as ‘little envelope’. The term has its roots in the Neapolitan dialect, and refers to an envelope in which money is hidden in order to facilitate favours or smooth a process. It thus equates with a kickback or bribe.

|style="font-size:1.1em;"| ''Bustarella'' is the diminutive of the word ‘''busta''’ (envelope), and may be translated literally as ‘little envelope’. The term has its roots in the Neapolitan dialect, and refers to an envelope in which money is hidden in order to facilitate favours or smooth a process. It thus equates with a kickback or bribe.

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Cultural references abound. In the song ‘''A''’ ''bustarella''’, by the Italian film actor and comedian Nino Taranto, 1950s Italy is described as the ‘Land of Plenty’ (‘''il Paese della Cuccagna''’), where you just need a ''bustarella'' (‘brown envelope’) to satisfy your greed. In the book ‘''Il male italiano''’ (‘The Italian disease’), prosecutor Raffaele Cantone describes the impression of Italy he gained as a result of his investigation of Expo 2015 in Milan. The year preceding the opening of the Expo saw the rise of corrupt practices with regard to contracts on buildings and infrastructure, and clear evidence of nepotism and clientelism (''La Repubblica'' 2015<ref>La Repubblica. 2015. http://www.repubblica.it/argomenti/tangenti_expo</ref>).

Cultural references abound. In the song ‘''A''’ ''bustarella''’, by the Italian film actor and comedian Nino Taranto, 1950s Italy is described as the ‘Land of Plenty’ (‘''il Paese della Cuccagna''’), where you just need a ''bustarella'' (‘brown envelope’) to satisfy your greed. In the book ‘''Il male italiano''’ (‘The Italian disease’), prosecutor Raffaele Cantone describes the impression of Italy he gained as a result of his investigation of Expo 2015 in Milan. The year preceding the opening of the Expo saw the rise of corrupt practices with regard to contracts on buildings and infrastructure, and clear evidence of nepotism and clientelism (''La Repubblica'' 2015<ref>La Repubblica. 2015. http://www.repubblica.it/argomenti/tangenti_expo</ref>).

Prevention of opportunity has been suggested as the most successful tool to combat small cases of corruption like ''bustarella'', thus stopping them from expanding into to a well-functioning system of corruption. It is noted that while there are costs to detecting a case at an early stage, it is more challenging when the case becomes ‘too big to be ignored’ (Brytting et al 2011: 243<ref>Brytting, T., Minogue, R. and Morino, V. 2011. The Anatomy of Fraud and Corruption. Organizational Causes and Remedies. Farnham, Surrey: Gower.</ref>). The best solution is to maximise the risk of getting caught, since ‘a good record of detecting fraud when it occurs acts as a deterrent and reduces the likelihood of other frauds’ (ibid.: 244). Yet Italy may be regarded as ‘a model of the failure of ordinary institutional mechanisms to control corruption in advanced society’ (Vannucci 2009: 234<ref>Vannucci, A. 2009. ‘The Controversial Legacy of Mani Pulite: A Critical Analysis of Italian Corruption and Anti-Corruption Policies’, Bulletin of Italian Politics, 1(2): 233-264.

Prevention of opportunity has been suggested as the most successful tool to combat small cases of corruption like ''bustarella'', thus stopping them from expanding into to a well-functioning system of corruption. It is noted that while there are costs to detecting a case at an early stage, it is more challenging when the case becomes ‘too big to be ignored’ (Brytting et al 2011: 243<ref>Brytting, T., Minogue, R. and Morino, V. 2011. The Anatomy of Fraud and Corruption. Organizational Causes and Remedies. Farnham, Surrey: Gower.</ref>). The best solution is to maximise the risk of getting caught, since ‘a good record of detecting fraud when it occurs acts as a deterrent and reduces the likelihood of other frauds’ (ibid.: 244). Yet Italy may be regarded as ‘a model of the failure of ordinary institutional mechanisms to control corruption in advanced society’ (Vannucci 2009: 234<ref>Vannucci, A. 2009. ‘The Controversial Legacy of Mani Pulite: A Critical Analysis of Italian Corruption and Anti-Corruption Policies’, Bulletin of Italian Politics, 1(2): 233-264.

</ref>). This was starkly demonstrated by the ‘Clean Hands affair’ (''Mani pulite''), a nationwide judicial investigation into systemic political corruption in the 1990s that led to the demise of the so-called ‘First Republic’. Gherardo Colombo, one of the main prosecutors in the ‘Clean Hand affair’ asserted that, ‘the culture of this country is based above all on cunning and privilege. Since the statute of limitations and other laws were changed or annulled, we have arrived at a complete renaissance of corruption’ (Moore 2012<ref>Moore, M. 2007. ‘Italy as corrupt as ever’, The Telegraph, 21 March, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1546267/Italy-as-corrupt-as-ever-says-prosecutor.html.</ref>). This is perhaps unsurprising in a country that has often failed to establish one of the key principles of a healthy democratic state: the mutual independence of the judiciary and politics.

</ref>). This was starkly demonstrated by the ‘Clean Hands affair’ (''Mani pulite''), a nationwide judicial investigation into systemic political corruption in the 1990s that led to the demise of the so-called ‘First Republic’. Gherardo Colombo, one of the main prosecutors in the ‘Clean Hand affair’ asserted that, ‘the culture of this country is based above all on cunning and privilege. Since the statute of limitations and other laws were changed or annulled, we have arrived at a complete renaissance of corruption’ (Moore 2012<ref>Moore, M. 2007. ‘Italy as corrupt as ever’, The Telegraph, 21 March, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1546267/Italy-as-corrupt-as-ever-says-prosecutor.html.</ref>). This is perhaps unsurprising in a country that has often failed to establish one of the key principles of a healthy democratic state: the mutual independence of the judiciary and politics.

==References==

==References==

<References />

<References />

# Della Porta, D. and Vannucci, D. 2009. ‘Corruption and Anti-Corruption: The Political Defeat of ‘Clean Hands’ in Italy’, in M. Bull and M. Rhodes (eds.), Italy – A Contested Polity. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 174-197.

# Della Porta, D. and Vannucci, D. 2009. ‘Corruption and Anti-Corruption: The Political Defeat of ‘Clean Hands’ in Italy’, in M. Bull and M. Rhodes (eds.), Italy – A Contested Polity. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 174-197.

# Ghersetti, A. 1990. ‘Un tema sempre attuale: Malgoverno e disonestà dei pubblici funzionari: Testimonianze nella letteratura d’abab del X secolo’, Oriente Moderno, 9(1/6): 101-114.

# Ghersetti, A. 1990. ‘Un tema sempre attuale: Malgoverno e disonestà dei pubblici funzionari: Testimonianze nella letteratura d’abab del X secolo’, Oriente Moderno, 9(1/6): 101-114.