评论
打印
So in 2011, someone broke into my sister's office at the university where she teaches in Nigeria.
2011年，有个人闯进了我妹妹在尼日尼亚大学的办公室。
Now thankfully, the person was caught, arrested and charged to court.
幸运的是，那个人已经被逮捕并告上了法庭。
When I get into court, the clerks who were assigned to my sister's case informed her
我到达法院的时候，负责处理我妹妹案子的工作人员告诉她，
that they wouldn't be able to process the paperwork unless she paid a bribe.
如果她不支付一笔贿金，他们就没办法处理我妹妹提交的文件。
Now, at first she thought it was part of a practical joke.
刚开始她以为他们是在开玩笑。
But then she realized they were serious. And then she became furious.
但后来她意识到他们是认真的。随后她变得很愤怒。
I mean, think about it: here she was, the recent victim of a crime,
试想一下：她作为一起犯罪案件的受害者，
with the very people who were supposed to help her, and they were demanding a bribe from her.
旁边是本应该帮助她的人，而这些人在向她索贿。
That's just one of the many ways that corruption impacts millions of people in my country.
这只是发生在尼日利亚的腐败现象对数百万人造成的影响之一。
You know, growing up in Nigeria, corruption permeated virtually every element of the society.
我在尼日利亚长大，腐败几乎渗透了这个社会的每一个角落。
Reports of politicians embezzling millions of dollars were common.
关于政客挪用数百万美元的报道十分常见。
Police officers stealing money or extorting money from everyday hardworking citizens was routine practice.
警察从辛勤工作的市民那里偷钱或者敲诈勒索也是常规操作。
I felt that development could never actually happen, so long as corruption persisted.
我曾觉得，只要腐败还存在，国家永远不可能得到发展。
But over the past several years, in my research on innovation and prosperity,
但在过去的几年中，在调查改革和繁荣的关系时，
I've learned that corruption is actually not the problem hindering our development.
我意识到实际上腐败并不是阻碍发展的问题。
In fact, conventional thinking on corruption and its relationship to development is not only wrong,
实际上，对于腐败和腐败与发展之间关系的传统认知不仅仅是错的，
but it's holding many poor countries backwards.
还让很多贫困的国家无法得到发展。
So, the thinking goes like this: in a society that's poor and corrupt,
人们的想法通常是这样的：在一个贫穷且腐败丛生的社会，
our best shot at reducing corruption is to create good laws, enforce them well,
消灭腐败最好的办法就是制定好的法律并严格执行，
and this will make way for development and innovation to flourish.
这样就能让国家得以发展和改革。
Now, it makes sense on paper, which is why many governments and development organizations
理论上来说这是行的通的，正因为如此，很多政府和机构
invest billions of dollars annually on institutional reform and anti-corruption programs.
每年在制度改革和反腐败行动上投资数十亿美元。
But many of these programs fail to reduce corruption, because we have the equation backwards.
但是很多行动都没能减少腐败，因为这样做还导致了同样多的负面问题。
You see, societies don't develop because they've reduced corruption.
因为减少了腐败，社会就无法发展。
They're able to reduce corruption because they've developed.
而因为社会得到发展才能反腐败。
And societies develop through investments in innovation.
而社会得到发展的方式就是给改革事业投资。
Now, at first, I thought this was impossible.
一开始我觉得这是不可能的。
Why would anyone in their right mind invest in a society where, at least on the surface, it seems a terrible place to do business?
怎么会有一个头脑清醒的正常人，会在这样一个糟糕的，至少表面看起来很糟糕的国家投资做生意呢？
You know, a society where politicians are corrupt and consumers are poor?
这个社会的政治家们贪污腐败，消费者又穷。
But then, the more I learned about the relationship between innovation and corruption, the more I started to see things differently.
但随后，我越是了解改革和腐败之间的关系，就越能开始从不同的角度看问题。
Here's how this played out in sub-Saharan Africa as the region developed its telecommunications industry.
这里有一个关于撒哈拉以南的非洲发展通讯工业的故事。
In the late 1990s, fewer than five percent of people in sub-Saharan Africa had phones.
20世纪90年代末，撒哈拉以南的非洲国家里拥有手机的人不足百分之五。
In Nigeria, for example, the country had more than 110 million people but fewer than half a million phones in the whole nation.
拿尼日利亚举例，这个国家的人口超过1.1亿，但整个国家只有不到一百万台手机。
Now, this scarcity fueled widespread corruption in the industry.
资源匮乏导致行业中的腐败现象丛生。
I mean, public officials who worked for the state-owned phone companies demanded bribes from people who wanted phones.
在国有手机公司工作的官员们，会向那些想要买手机的人索要贿赂。
And because most people couldn't afford to pay the bribes, phones were only available to those who were wealthy.
而因为大部分的人都无法支付贿金，就只有那些富有的人才能够拥有手机。
Then an entrepreneur named Mo Ibrahim decided that he would set up a telecommunications company on the continent.
后来一名叫做莫·依布拉希姆的企业家决心要在这片大陆上建立一个通讯公司。
Now, when he told his colleagues about his idea, they just laughed at him.
最开始，当他跟同事讲这个想法的时候，大家都嘲笑他。
But Mo Ibrahim was undeterred. And so in 1998, he set up Celtel.
但莫·依布拉希姆没有退缩。1998年，他创立了凯尔特。
The company provided affordable mobile phones and cell service to millions of Africans, in some of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the region
这家公司向非洲数百万最贫穷、最腐败的国家的人民，销售他们负担的起的手机和通讯服务，
I mean countries such as Congo, Malawi, Sierra Leone and Uganda.
比如刚果、马拉维、塞拉利昂和乌干达这样的国家。
You see, in our research, we call what Mo Ibrahim built a "market-creating innovation."
在调查中，我们称莫进行了一场拓荒式的革新。
Market-creating innovations transform complicated and expensive products into products that are simple and affordable,
这样的创举把复杂的昂贵的产品变的简单而且便宜，
so that many more people in society could access them.
这样一来很多人都可以拥有它们。
Now in this case, phones were expensive before Celtel made them much more affordable.
在这个案例中，在凯尔特把手机价格降下来之前，它们是非常昂贵的。
As other investors -- some of his colleagues, actually
随后其他的投资人，其实其中有一部分是他的同事，
saw that it was possible to create a successful mobile phone company on the continent,
发现在这里成功开办一家手机公司是可行的，
they flooded in with billions of dollars of investments.
于是他们带着数十亿美金的投资蜂拥而至。
And this led to significant growth in the industry.
这使得整个行业得到了巨大的发展。
From barely nothing in 2000, today, virtually every African country now has a vibrant mobile telecommunications industry.
2000年还几乎一无所有，今天几乎每一个非洲国家都有一个生机勃勃的移动通讯行业。
The sector now supports close to one billion phone connections,
它们建立起了近十亿台手机之间的连接，
it has created nearly four million jobs and generates billions of dollars in taxes every year.
创造了将近四百万个工作岗位，每年创造数十亿美元的税收。
These are taxes that governments can now reinvest into the economy to build their institutions.
而政府现在可以把这些税收再用来投资经济，建设制度。
And here's the thing: because most people no longer have to bribe public officials just to get a phone,
这样一来，因为大部分人不再需要为了买手机而去贿赂政府的官员，
corruption -- at least within this industry -- has reduced.
腐败现象至少是在这个行业减少了。
Now, if Mo Ibrahim had waited for corruption to be fixed in all of sub-Saharan Africa before he invested,
而如果莫·依布拉希姆一直等待着所有撒哈拉以南的非洲国家消灭腐败再投资的话，
he would still be waiting today.
他可能直到今天还在等待。
You know, most people who engage in corruption know they shouldn't.
大部分参与腐败行为的人其实都知道这是不应该的。
I mean, the public officials who were demanding bribes from people to get phones and the people who were paying the bribes
我指的是那些向买手机的人索要贿赂的政府官员还有支付贿金的人，
they knew they were breaking the law. But they did it anyways.
他们都知道这是犯法的。但他们还是这样做了。
The question is: Why? The answer? Scarcity.
问题是：为什么呢？答案是什么？因为资源匮乏。
See, whenever people would benefit from gaining access to something that scarce, this makes corruption attractive.
无论什么时候，只要人们想要从某种很匮乏的资源中获利，腐败就会滋生。
You know, in poor countries, we complain a lot about corrupt politicians who embezzle state funds.
在那些贫穷的国家，我们经常抱怨那些政客们挪用国家资产。
But in many of those countries, economic opportunity is scarce, and so corruption becomes an attractive way to gain wealth.
但是在很多这种国家，经济发展的机会也是很匮乏的，于是为了获得财富，索贿就变成了一种很有吸引力的方式。
We also complain about civil servants like police officers, who extort money from everyday hardworking citizens.
我们还抱怨像警察这样的公务员从没日没夜辛勤劳作的普通人身上榨取钱财。
But most civil servants are grossly underpaid and are leading desperate lives.
但那是因为大部分的公务员都拿着非常微薄的薪水，过着很贫困的生活。
And so for them, extortion or corruption is a good way to make a living.
所以对他们来说，敲诈勒索和贪污腐败都是维生的手段。
You know, this phenomenon also plays itself out in wealthy countries as well.
这种现象在富裕的国家也常常发生。
When rich parents bribe university officials...
有钱的父母会贿赂大学的官员...
When rich parents bribe university officials so their children can gain admission into elite colleges,
有钱的父母贿赂大学领导，好让自己的孩子可以被那些精英学校录取，
the circumstance is different, but the principle is the same.
故事背景不同，但实质是一样的。
I mean, admission into elite colleges is scarce, and so bribery becomes attractive.
因为精英学校的录取率低，于是贿赂行为就大行其道。
The thing is, I'm not trying to say there shouldn't be things that are scarce in society or things that are selective.
其实我不是想说社会上不应该有资源匮乏，或者有择优录取这样的现象出现。
What I'm just trying to explain is this relationship between corruption and scarcity.
我只是想试图解释清楚贪污腐败和资源匮乏之间的关系。
And in most poor countries, way too many basic things are scarce.
在大部分贫困的国家，非常多的基础物资都是很匮乏的。
I mean things like food, education, health care, economic opportunity, jobs.
我指的是食物、教育、医疗、经济发展的机会和工作。
This creates the perfect breeding ground for corruption to thrive.
这就为腐败的滋生提供了完美的土壤。
Now, in no way does this excuse corrupt behavior. It just helps us understand it a bit better.
这当然无法为腐败行为辩护。它只是帮助我们能更好的去理解腐败的行为。
Investing in businesses that make things affordable and accessible to so many more people attacks this scarcity
投资可以降低物价，让越来越多的人用上便宜的产品，这样就可以减少资源匮乏的现象，
and creates the revenues for governments to reinvest in their economies.
也会给政府创造税收，从而对经济进行再次投资。
Now, when this happens on a countrywide level, it can revolutionize nations. Consider the impact in South Korea.
当这种现象发生在国家层面的时候，它就可以在这个国家掀起一场革命。设想一下韩国。
Now, in the 1950s, South Korea was a desperately poor country, and it was very corrupt.
20世纪50年代，韩国是一个非常贫困的国家，而且腐败现象丛生。
The country was ruled by an authoritarian government and engaged in bribery and embezzlement.
这个国家当时被极权政府统治着，贪污腐败和资金挪用的现象屡见不鲜。
In fact, economists at the time said South Korea was trapped in poverty, and they referred to it as "an economic basket case."
当时的经济学家说韩国十分贫困，他们把韩国地经济说成是一个烂摊子。
When you looked at South Korea's institutions, even as late as the 1980s,
看看韩国的制度，在20世纪80年代，
they were on par with some of the poorest and most corrupt African countries at the time.
他们跟那些当时最贫困、腐败最严重的非洲国家排在一起。
But as companies like Samsung, Kia, Hyundai invested in innovations
但是当三星、起亚、现代这样的公司投资改革事业时，
that made things much more affordable for so many more people, South Korea ultimately became prosperous.
廉价的资源变得更加触手可及，最终韩国人变得富裕起来。
As the country grew prosperous, it was able to transition from an authoritarian government to a democratic government
韩国富裕起来之后，它就从一个极权政府转变成了一个民主政府，
and has been able to reinvest in building its institutions. And this has paid off tremendously.
并且在建立社会制度上进行了大量投资。而且成果显著。
For instance, in 2018, South Korea's president was sentenced to 25 years in prison on corruption-related charges.
比如在2018年，韩国总统因为贪污腐败被判刑二十五年。
This could never have happened decades ago when the country was poor and ruled by an authoritarian government.
这在几十年前，在这个国家很穷，由一个极权政府统治的时期，是绝对不可能发生的。
In fact, as we looked at most prosperous countries today, what we found was,
而当我们今天看看那些最富有的国家的时候，我们发现，
they were able to reduce corruption as they became prosperous -- not before.
他们正是在变得富裕之后才能够减少腐败，而不是在之前。
And so where does that leave us? I know it may sound like I'm saying we should just ignore corruption.
那我们从中学到了什么呢？我知道这可能听起来像是我在说我们应该忽略腐败。
That's not what I'm saying at all.
但我完全不是这个意思。
What I'm suggesting, though, is that corruption, especially for most people in poor countries, is a work-around.
我的意思是，腐败，特别是发生在那些贫穷国家的大多数人身上的腐败，是一种应急措施。
It's a utility in a place where there are fewer better options to solve a problem.
在没有更好的解决措施的地方，这是一种实用的工具。
Investing in innovations that make products much more affordable for many people
对改革进行投资，可以让产品对大多数人来说变得更加廉价，
not only attacks this scarcity but it creates a sustainable source of revenue for governments
这不仅会改变资源匮乏的现状，还会持续为政府提供税收，
to reinvest into the economies to strengthen their institutions.
好让政府可以投资经济去进行制度改良。
This is the critical missing piece in the economic development puzzle that will ultimately help us reduce corruption.
这就是经济发展谜题中最终影响反腐败的至关重要的部分。
You know, I lost hope in Nigeria when I was 16. And in some ways, the country has actually gotten worse.
我16岁时就对尼日利亚失去了希望。在某些方面，这个国家现在变得更加糟糕。
In addition to widespread poverty and endemic corruption, Nigeria now actually deals with terrorist organizations like Boko Haram.
除了大面积的贫困和普遍的腐败现象，尼日利亚现在还跟博科圣地这样的恐怖组织做生意。
But somehow, I am more hopeful about Nigeria today than I have ever been before.
但不知何故，我从未像今天这样对尼日利亚充满希望。
When I see organizations investing in innovations that are creating jobs for people and making things affordable
因为我看见有些组织在投资改革，给人们创造工作岗位，让商品价格变得更加便宜，
I mean organizations like Lifestores Pharmacy, making drugs and pharmaceuticals more affordable for people;
我说的是救生药房这样的组织，它们让药价更加实惠；
or Metro Africa Xpress, tackling the scarcity of distribution and logistics for many small businesses;
以及Metro Africa Xpress，解决了很多小公司的货物运输和配送问题；
or Andela, creating economic opportunity for software developers -- I am optimistic about the future.
还有安德拉公司，给软件开发者创造了工作机会，我对未来很乐观。
I hope you will be, too. Thank you.
我希望你们也会如此。谢谢大家。
