Bribe payers may seek to avoid or reduce costs, through illegal reductions in taxes, lax enforcement of regulations, underestimated rent for public housing or the dropping of criminal charges. Multinationals might pay bribes just to jump the queue in getting a house or a telephone line connected. Even obtaining a research grant often presupposes a bribe. Bribers may even be coerced to pay, which is called extortion. Incentive bribes, payoffs and extortion happen to be rare in developed countries, but frequent in developing ones.
Corruption is, of course, present in developed countries.
The dubious funding of political parties is one example, and before the OECD Convention came into being, multinationals found it easier to receive government export assistance than they do now. But, with strict property rights, mature institutions and well-paid civil servants, developed countries can hardly be said to suffer from systemic corruption. Supply is plentiful enough to remove the incentive to jump queues. The picture could not be more in contrast with the situation in many developing countries, where weak governance and rights are endemic. Property rights are at best just being established and remain open to abuse, at least for a time.