They don't, as you are probably aware.
They create barriers to entry for existing businesses that have the cash to issue bribes (or 'lobby' as some may euphemistically call it).
This is one of the major reasons for the stagnation of all empires.
This is one of the major reasons for the stagnation of all empires.
After failing to get permits/licenses/whatever it was, someone told him he needed to give the city administrator some cash on the side for things to go through. Boom! Instant success!
At the time of our talking, he'd accepted that paying bribes to the government (not what the locals called it) was just a regular part of doing business.
It was astonishing that it was required, openly acknowledged/accepted by the locals, and pervasive through other government branches.
I still have some faith in possible change at the municipal level, at least in smaller ones.