Study finds Right To Info as good as bribery

Filing a request under India's powerful Right to Information act (RTI) is nearly as effective as paying a bribe, at least when it comes to obtaining a ration card that is also your legal right, found a new study by doctoral candidates at Yale University.

According to the Globe and Mail, researchers Paul Pinto and Leonid Peisakhin were stunned by the findings.

The researchers divided their candidates into four groups. The first group simply sent in an application, while the second applied and attached a letter supporting their need for a ration card from a local non-governmental organization – a subtle sign that they had some local influence. The third group paid a $25 bribe, the standard sum required for this kind of service (and a huge cost to slum dwellers who earn an average of $1.50 a day). The fourth group, after applying, filed a Right to Information claim asking about the status of their application, and how long such an application typically takes.

Those who bribed received their cards in 82 days. Those who filed the RTI got theirs in 120 days. (Those who applied with neither, on the other hand, waited at least a year and might never have got them except the researchers filed RTIs on their behalf when the study was over.) If you subtract the weeks that they waited to file the RTI, Mr. Pinto noted, then the RTI took about 11 days longer than the bribe – and it is infinitely more accessible to the poor.

If you're confused why you need to pay a bribe in the first place to get a ration card, join the club. But the same holds true for stuff like getting the tax refund you're owed, getting access to court documents (even as a lawyer), and sometimes even getting application forms for various types of jobs and services.  Yep, it's not just the cops and politicians that are on the take: As long as you can "capture" access to something, either because it's your job or just because you get there first, you're in the bribery business.