Ron is writing a book about missionaries and bribes. He would like to have an appendix containing some good mission agency policies about bribes. He will include them without mentioning the name of the agency. If you are willing to share your policy with missionaries and other agencies, please click in a “Comment” below (this item on the web) and paste them into the comment box and, if you would be so kind, send a copy of them to
ron@missionarycare.com
Of course, he is also interested in other information about bribes and would be delighted to receive guidelines, position papers, and any other written information you have either from your agency or from your own personal thinking. (Thanks, too, to GO InterNational, Wilmore, KY, for sending a $30 gift connected with this project.)
My comment is that there needs to be a distinction between bribery and extortion. Bribes are money or favor given or promised in order to influence the judgment or conduct of a person in a position of trust (From Merriam-Webster)
Extortion is to obtain from a person by force, intimidation, or undue or illegal power : (Merrian-Webster)
So from these two definitions I might argue that most of what we call bribery is actually extortion. Most of what I have seen is a person in power demands money to give you something that is legally yours. I might want a license or my gas turned on or electricity connected but is not done until I pay some extra money. The service should just be given to me. It is my right to have it. But the person behind the desk is waiting for me to give them something and they use their position of power to with hold it. That is extortion.
Whereas I may give a gift to a judge to alter his decision in my favor. That is a bribe.
I might then say bribery is giving a gift to get what is not legally mine.
Extortion is a payment to get what is legally mine.
I am not justifying either one but I think a distinction needs to be made between the two and I trust your book will bring out the differences and complexities that many people face in this matters.
There is a helpful website at: http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/?L=0
There are training materials and country profiles to assist in teaching your staff about anti-corruption practices.