draining development.pdf - Khazar University

166 Draining Development?5. One of the authors of this chapter, for example, closed a savings account in 2008that had a balance of about US$7,000 because the interest received was less thanthe monthly cost of the account.6. Rural land property has always been a key issue in Colombian society. Land hasbeen a symbol of wealth and power and remains so for many Colombiansdespite the rapid modernization that the country has experienced (Zamosc1986; Fajardo 1986). La Violencia of the 1940s and 1950s, during which at least200,000 Colombians (about 1.8 percent of the population) were killed, was, to agreat degree, a fight over land, and it generated large displacements of peoplebecause armed bands were killing peasants and forcing many others off theirland (Guzmán, Fals Borda, and Umaña Luna 1962; Fals Borda 1982).7. The website of the center is at http://www.internal-displacement.org/countries/colombia.8. It is remarkable that this gap was the main issue in the campaign for the 2010presidential election.9. Over 50 years ago, Banfield’s pathbreaking book on southern Italy (1958)referred to the society there as “amoral familism.” Today, in Colombia, even thishas weakened to the point that we have “amoral individualism.”10. These beliefs are not new. A good example is Augusto Ramírez-Moreno’s columnin El Siglo on March 20, 1936, cited by Acevedo-Carmona (1995, 153):“The Liberal regime has declared civil war on Colombians. . . . There is a need todisobey. Citizens are relieved from obeying the wicked laws and the illegitimateauthorities in power.” Remarkably, the reference was to the duly elected governmentand Congress. During La Violencia, some Catholic priests, such as MonsignorBuiles of Santa Rosa de Osos, incited his flock by preaching that killingLiberals was not sinful.11. Banks have taken strong measures. Banco de Bogotá, for example, has a team of50 professionals, each of whom visits 50 clients a month to examine how theirbusinesses operate.12. The unit is working with Fenalco (the Colombian Retailers Association) andwith the Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá. They all support and encourageinvestigative journalism into issues related to money laundering.13. Author interviews with staff of the Financial Information and Analysis Unit,March 2009.14. Author interviews with Fiscalía staff, March 2009.15. Author interviews with officials of the United Nations Office on Drugs andCrime, March–April 2009.16. For example, indexes of Transparencia por Colombia show that entities in themunicipalities and departments are at substantially greater risk of corruptionthan the central government agencies that have much larger budgets. See Transparenciapor Colombia, http://www.transparenciacolombia.org.co/LACORRUPCION/tabid/62/Default.aspx.17. Since the new Constitution was enacted in 1991, for example, Congress hasalways had more members who have formerly been guerrillas than memberswho have formerly been in the armed forces.