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How Government Corruption / Oversight / Ethics could be different



Government department headquarters could be located outside of the capital

Development could focus on the middle-class / higher education to build sustainable democracies

Humanitarian food assistance could not be diverted / stolen

Public pensions could be too high in some places / to some people / could be capped at some amount

Civil grand juries could help keep government accountable

The House of Lords / hereditary peers could end

NIH scientists / employees could not receive financial royalties / perks

Kleptocrats / criminals could not buy real estate / real estate transactions could be transparent

Bribes could not be required to access government services

Government positions could not be obtained by bribes

Adopting could be quicker, cheaper, less hurdled by bureaucracy, legal / safe, and open to more (single people / LGBTQ+) to prevent millions of abandoned / vulnerable children worldwide

Countries could be prevented from taking on crippling debt / having public financial mismanagement

Government operations could be paperless / automated

Randomly selecting citizens/employees for shadow boards / oversight, staff rotations, sting surveillance, and different recruiting practices could reduce corruption

Journalists could have legal defense against being sued

Public Expenditure Tracking surveys (PETS) could improve to audit governments

Independent monitoring organizations in countries could fight against government corruption

Blockchain could create secure and transportable identification, health, land, education, financial, voting, and employment records

U.S. government whistleblowing could improve

The revolving door between government / private business could be fixed

Publicizing audits in a timely manner through various media outlets could improve government

Government legislatures / courts could ensure truth through requiring an oath / punishing perjury

ProZorro could improve government contracting / corruption

Mexico could improve its police, prison, social welfare / basic income, and justice systems to confront drug cartels

The Japanese government could be open / effective in dealing with the Fukushima nuclear disaster

Permanent NGOs with local professionals could be established in countries to encourage peace and democracy

Companies / people could not bribe, give donations, and/or gifts to government officials

Offshore banking / dark money could be reformed to prevent corruption / crime / terrorism / human trafficking / tax evasion / wars / repressive and corrupt governments

Citizens could access government records

Qualified government leaders could serve for longer terms

Civics education could be a part of school curriculums

Decentralization could or could not lead to better government

Meritocratic recruitment/rewards/wages/benefits, smaller government, intrinsic motivation, decentralization, and performance monitoring/auditing/feedback could improve governments

International aid could prevent civil service reform

Clinical knowledge, health workers' absenteeism rates, corruption/bribes/theft, power outages, and drug/medical supply availability / counterfeit medications could be improved in global health

Public sector unions could prevent government reform / lead to adverse decisions

Duplication, fragmentation, and overlap could be fixed across government

International aid could focus on improving government services and private development

Judicial systems could be reformed by better case management technology

Public servants (and relatives) could not serve on company boards / own companies to prevent conflicts of interest

An ombuds office or dispute-resolution system could better address harassment, complaints, and corruption

The extractive industry could publish payments to and contracts made with governments

International development / aid could have transparency

Instances of government waste/inefficiency could be compiled clearly on a website

Congress, congressional staff, cabinet secretaries, White House staff, federal judges, other officials and their family members could not own / trade securities in office

Malfunctioning police departments could be disbanded to create reform

Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) could crowd out the private sector, create debt, underprice risk, change incentive structures for employees, and not sufficiently track impacts on the poor / environment

Former national security and foreign policy officials could have their post-government careers regulated

Foreign aid could be given based on compacts for reform, results, and be country led

Governments could support investigative reporting and journalism

Government contracting could have share-in savings, contests, rewards for cost-saving ideas, and more meaningful past/public performance evaluations

Public ownership registries could eliminate illicit financial schemes and government corruption

Government contracting rules could have two overarching rules to serve taxpayers better

Large bounties and penalties could be established to prevent and catch government contracting waste and fraud

Governments could show the impact of economic development subsidies / corporate incentives and tax breaks

Consulting, lobbying, law firms, banks, and public relations companies could not assist authoritarian governments, corruption, organized crime, or have unethical practices

Auditors could serve and be hired by the public and legislative bodies

Auditors could be audited

Government performance auditing could be publicized more and tackle risky topics

Government audits of public resources could reduce corruption

Governments could have open contracting

Towns and cities could have civilian / independent police oversight committees

The revolving door / regulatory capture between government and industry could be fixed

Public pensions could be managed by qualified investment managers and/or an independent board

Local investigative reporting and newspapers could be funded by philanthropy / become nonprofit / have a sustainable business model

Think tanks and investigative reporting could be strengthened in developing countries

Government agencies, schools, hospitals, police, universities, foundations, prisons, workplaces, elections, judiciary systems, and nonprofits could collect, publicize, and use citizen feedback

Cash stipends could be given directly to the poor

Governments, scientists, and institutions could have transparent and online data