system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How do developed countries deal with government corruption very well? How do these governments' differ with third-world countries who struggle with it?
gpt
The developed countries used to suffer from huge corruption, and many of the changes in their political evolution over the last few hundred years have been made with the aim of preventing and controlling it. Before it came to be seen as a good thing in itself, democracy was a way to prevent high officials corruptly misusing their positions. Many of the day-to-day features of the developed countries and their governments are there wholly or partly to prevent corruption. This isn't just law enforcement, it's things like the rules by which civil servants are appointed (on the basis of ability not connections); external audits of government spending; appeal courts; transparency about government decisions etc. 

There are also some features that tend to make countries more or less corrupt: inequality breeds corruption - its' no coincidence that the Nordic countries have the lowest levels of both corruption and inequality. Welfare systems and social safety nets also help prevent corruption, because government officals aren't expected to look after their extended family. And secrecy and complexity both encourage corruption: it's easier to get away with it if people can't see or understand what you're doing.  One of the big drivers of corruption is where the government gets its revenue. If the government takes it from the population in taxes, then people hold them to account about how it's spent. But if the government takes it from oil or mining companies in as a fee for extracting natural resources, then there's no accountability for what they do with the cash. 

 Lots of developing countries have never developed the government systems that prevent corruption. They're poor, with high levels of inequality and no social safety nets, no transparency and no auditors, so governments can get away with huge corruption. In many countries it's become a deeply embedded part of the culture, and it's reflected in how poorly the public sector is paid: you might be expected to "buy"  a job by paying off your boss, and then make the money back by extracting bribes from everyone who uses the service that you're supposed to provide for free.