‘It is much harder for a senior politician to be corrupt in front of the public’, Laurence Cockcroft said. ‘But on an individual level it depends on how far people take on initiatives to change it.’
At times it was hard to see what difference individuals could make in a country of one billion people, with all its pollution, corruption and poverty. The stories of the people we met did something to challenge this sense of helplessness.
If love makes the world go round, greed also keeps things moving-but it makes for a stomach-churning ride. Personal greed is rampant-not least where failed company bosses receive seven-figure 'golden handshakes' while their redundant ex-employees are only offered a few thousand pounds. A recent white paper from Britain's Department of Trade and Industry offers hope that these scandals may be addressed, by linking directors' retirement pay-outs to their companies' performance.