Agree that bribes should be part of the analysis, but I would do the comparison with the time and cost to accomplish a goal, without judging the method.

If you look at the outrageously high fees and lack of competition (notaries and tax accounts - yes there’s a bunch out there but it’s not the market dictating the fee and no guarantees that they won’t work towards a suboptimal outcome) I don’t really see how bribes are worse. In Germany corruption has just moved up the chain making everything expensive.

Overall it’s a lost opportunity to create wealth, jobs and a competitive advantage, both in India and Germany.

Then there’s the bit about personal preference. I didn’t see anything good in Germany, but happy for you if you do and live there.