The comparison presents late Qing bureaucracy as far more corrupt than Japan's government. It argues that a powerful empire can let administrative routines harden when it faces no major shock for a long period. Small payments used to move ordinary business then normalize larger bribes for larger decisions. The result is a state whose formal scale conceals declining ability to act effectively.
Notable Point · 9:54-10:52
How entrenched bureaucracy can weaken state capacity
A comparative digression argues that routine unofficial payments can harden into systemic corruption and make a large empire less capable than its size suggests.