海角大神

It鈥檚 the kind of proposal that could seem like a great idea. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said Sunday that, to fight corruption, he wants youth to start making citizens鈥� arrests. 鈥淭he power is in your hands to end this vice in this country,鈥� he said.

There鈥檚 no question Kenya needs to do something. Corruption is rampant, and Mr. Kenyatta has tried everything from introducing lie detector tests for some government officials to declaring corruption a national security threat. But Kenya鈥檚 spot on index isn鈥檛 moving much.

Around the world, leaders often try to distract citizens from problems at home by embarking on 鈥渁nticorruption drives鈥� that are more style than substance. You鈥檒l see a story in today鈥檚 issue on that trend in the Arab world. In Kenya, lie detector tests and citizens鈥� arrests sound decisive, but they show a lack of understanding about what actually works.

Look at Hong Kong. Its economic success, many say, is directly tied to in overcoming a legacy of deep corruption in the 1970s. Yes, change began with punishment. But locals say something else mattered more: a long-term commitment to teach and promote honesty and fairness across society, starting with the kindergarten curriculum. 鈥淲e don't teach them about the laws, but we teach them about the values,鈥� an official with the pioneering Independent Commission Against Corruption . 鈥淣owadays in Hong Kong, people will never tolerate corruption.鈥�

Now, here are our five stories of the day. Two of them 鈥� the Arab anticorruption story and one about 鈥渕obile money鈥� in Zimbabwe 鈥� look in different ways at the issue of trust in society. We also look at a multibillion-euro effort to save small-town France. 聽聽聽