Abstract :
The experiences of corruption in the context of urban development in the management of urban affairs in Indonesia are presented through a number of particular, characteristic and indicative cases from Jakarta for which evidence is best documented.1 The experiences and cases present a basis for discussing the phenomenon of corruption as a symptom and factor of underdevelopment, affecting negatively the efforts to use and allocate scarce resources for the betterment of urban life. It shows that corruption is impeding the development of innovative and creative solutions to urban problems and to the increase of potential resources of the city.
The symptom of corruption is an (undealt with) issue for urban managers, who are either helplessly facing the various facets of corruption or being themselves so deeply immersed in it that it is unlikely for them to become key actors in the implementation of effective measures against corruption. More transparency is advocated, and it is proposed to convert present practices of corruption into regularised payment of ‘service fees’ to honour good collaboration and to reduce counter-productive developmental effects of corruption.
