Political corruption is a serious problem limiting development in emerging economies. Many scholars have identified corruption as the new enemy of democratization, blaming it for limiting political and socio-economic development of most developing nations (Bardhan P.,1997; Seligson M., 2002, Canache D. and Allison M., 2005). Although no one can really measure “corruption” due to its discrete nature and the different discourses defining it, citizen’s perception of corruption can give us an idea of its direction. Manny current approaches to the study of corruption take into consideration the importance of corruption perception indexes (Johnston 2005, Acemoglu D. and Robinson J. 2001, Canache D. and Allison M., 2005), and the availability of democratic channels such as regular popular elections, freedom of the press, civic society organizations, private property rights and individual rights (O’Donell G, 1994). Corruption index reports such as Transparency International, LatinoBarometro, Freedom House) show extensive public awareness of mass corruption in developing countries (TI, 2011; LB 2009; FH 2010). Awareness of corruption does not seem to trigger any major demands to fight corruption seriously. The question leading this literature review is why citizens, after accurately perceiving corruption and perceiving it as wrong, fail to adjust their opinions of, or simply ignore, the leaders or democratic institutions that govern them?
The question of public tolerance of political corruption has assessed from different approaches. Some scholars, for instance, focus on the direct link between citizens and organization/leaders based on clientelism, nepotism, cronyism, and other informal ways of wealth redistribution (Kurer, O. 1993, R...
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...ing the social construction of the “sense of ownership” of public institutions can lead us to the understanding of civil society’s sense of entitlement accountability. We have seen, for instance, how reviving civil society’s sense of entitlement to the public wealth have driven leaders in and out of power. Most of the South American leftist regimes depend on this “sense” of ownership/entitlement to win election and to stay in power. However, few of these countries show serious interest in institutionalizing the citizen-government relationship, especially if it threatens their stay in government. Further research, nonetheless, should help us understand how remittance, language and expectation of leaving the country contribute to the creation of a passive/inactive civil society. Researchers of both corruption and democratic theory should consider these approaches.
. The constitutional heritage of former regimes, in which public resources have been widely utilized to obtain sustenance of backing networks causing the complication of administrative processing, influences the political landscape of the state after democratization (Gee, 2015, p. 42). Different types of backing and clientelism prevail across the political system and administrative procedures, as proved by yielding and acquisition operations being frequently adjusted on the basis of individual relations. Moreover, the elevating level of dependency on costs for political crusades has developed opportunities for political corruption and state seizure, especially at the local level (Strachan, 2014a, p. 12). Thus, the facts demonstrate that elevated levels of costs of political crusades and campaigns stimulate lawmakers and members of councils of provincial and district
Jong-Sung, Y., and S. Khagram. "A Comparative Study of Inequality and Corruption." American Sociological Review 70.3 (2005): 539. Print.
Known as a period of political scandal, many politicians engaged in bribes, lies, and abuse of power to further a political, social, and often personal agenda. The typical corrupt leader "will sell his vote for a dollar [...] turns with indifference from the voice of honesty and reason [...] his unalienable right may be valuable to him for the bribe he gets out of it" (166). Such politicians are an injustice to society because as they are elected by the people, they must act towards the betterment of the people, rather than for themselves. Furthermore, those who elect this politician to office merely underestimate their political and social responsibility because they "want the feeling that their own interests are connected with those of the community, and in the weakness or absence of moral and political duty" (167). Thus, under the control of the ruthless politician and the reckless voter, the true essence of democracy is
There is a belief that corruption springs from the actions of the powerful. It is they who control government, and therefor they that determine to whom’s benefit it will function. The powerless in this narrative cannot be responsible for governmental corruption, as their lack of power leaves them devoid of guilt as well as agency. It is the contrary that is in fact true. Being powerless can be far more corrupting than being powerful, primarily because by not having power citizens are lulled into an apathetic cycle. This is a significant issue because if the powerless abstain from participation in politics they cede responsibility and opportunity entirely to those who already hold the reigns of society. Only by holding themselves as well as the mighty accountable can the powerless exert control over the world.
The body, mind, and soul of an individual are capable of becoming corrupted by power. Power makes one feel as if that person was a God, which is a sign of the corruption in that individual. According to Lord Actin, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely," states that power can make an individual vulnerable to corruption. The second portion of Lord Actin?s quote discusses absolute power corrupting absolutely which implies that absolute power can corrupt an individual as well as the individual?s surroundings. This idea of corruption can be located in fictional novels such as Animal Farm by George Orwell. Animal Farm is a story about animals dictated by a former animal comrade. The dictator in the novel, Napoleon, became corrupted when he became leader. In addition, the quote can be applied to real life situations such as the dictatorship that lurked in Iraq. Iraq was dictated by a man named Saddam Hussein for over twenty-four years. Another real life situation was when Adolf Hitler and the Nazis dictated Germany and attempted to wipe out the Jewish population. Animal Farm, an allegoric story, is comparable to real life corruption caused by power. The animals in the novel portray real life dictators who have led in the real world such as Napoleon representing a dictator named Joseph Stalin. By examining dictators such as Saddam Hussein, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Napoleon from Animal Farm, one can see that the abuse of power can lead one to corruption.
“I was well satisfied that our Country, under all the circumstances of the case, had a right to take, and was bound in duty and interest, to take a Neutral position.”1 President George Washington believed that the best way to keep our nation united was to take a neutral political stance. He looked at both sided and found the good and the bad of the political parties of his day and he realized that these parties are not the best ways to run this nation. President Washington was right about these parties, they don’t unite our nation as one, but they split it into two or sometimes even three or four different types of people, and these people and parties are always going after each other and finding the faults of their rival party. Political parties are an evil and corrupt way to run a government.
corruption and equal protection under the law for citizens regardless of wealth via legal and judicial
Corruption consists in the illegitimate agreement between a corruptor and a corrupted, in which they abuse of their public power in order to obtain personal benefit. Bribery and corruption is something that has been going on for years. According to Allen, “officials perceive themselves as immune to any penalties for demanding and receiving bribes” which she states that it is one of the main reasons for bribery and corruption in underdeveloped countries. According to Transparency International, an organization committed exclusively to end corruption, three of the most corrupt countries in the world are Somalia, North Korea and Afghanistan. This does not mean that corruption is only seen in underdeveloped countries. In international business, corporate employees often find themselves dealing with corruptors in foreign countries and, in most cases, they will give in.
As there is petty and grand corruption, the notion of corruption can take various forms. Petty corruption often involves smaller amounts of money or “small pay-offs,” such as bribery, and is often perceived as more tolerable because citizens do not see a way around it (Uslaner 9; 11). Grand corruption, on the other hand, enriches a few people and angers the majority of people because it shows a systemic inequality. It thus involves a much larger sum of money (Uslaner 11). The normal conception of corruption has been the “abuse of public office for private gain,” but this definition has been outgrown by modern democracies (Warren, “What Does Corruption Mean in a Democracy?” 329). Over the last half century, political development has transformed extremely rapidly and democracies no longer pertain solely to
To set up the stage for discussing this question I would clarify the definition of corruption assumed in my essay and emphasize the challenges in identifying corruption despite having legal definitions of corruption and all the mechanisms that are in place right now. For my essay I would stick to the following definition of corruption: the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. This definition is more preferable for answering the question because it is generic and thus can be used to encapsulate all the different forms of corruption, which is quintessential since corruption does occur in public sector and private sector; at local, national and international level;
Over the last few years, the issue of corruption--the abuse of public office for private gain--has attracted renewed interest, both among academics and policymakers. There are a number of reasons why this topic has come under recent inspection. Corruption scandals have toppled governments in both major industrial countries and developing countries. In the transition countries, the shift from command economies to free market economies has created massive opportunities for the appropriation of rents, excessive profits, and has often been accompanied by a change from a well-organized system of corruption to a more chaotic and deleterious one. With the end of the cold war, donor countries have placed less emphasis on political considerations in allocating foreign aid among developing countries and have paid more attention to cases in which aid funds have been misused and have not reached the poor. And slow economic growth has persisted in many countries with malfunctioning institutions. This renewed interest has led to a new flurry of empirical research on the causes and consequences of corruption.
Some people said that corruption is rampant in all governments, So that it is not unknown to any ethnic group, region and continent. It cuts across faiths, political systems, religious Denominations and affects both young and old people. Fraud can be found in public and authoritarian rule;...
In simple terms Public Corruption can be defined as the misuse of public office for private gain.Corruption is an outcome and reflection of a country’s economic,legal,cultural and political institutions. Transparency International(2005,2008) found that more than 65% of Indians had a first hand experience of paying bribes and nearly 45% used contacts to get job done.Institutionalised Corruption has long been prevalent in India.Big Business and individuals dictate bureaucratic norms by breaking law,paying off public servants just to gain access to elements of governance.
Montesh, M. (n.d.). Conceptualizing Corruption: Forms, Causes, Types and Consequences. Retrieved May 4, 2014, from
Corruption and fraud is a relevant topic in South Africa and will continue to be so until it is able to be limited. Corruption is committed mainly by people in power as they neglect and take advantage of this power in order to better themselves at the expense of others. Fraud and corruption is the wrongful or criminal deception that results in financial or personal gain. Government officials, police officers and some unexpected individuals such as law officials have been known to commit corruption and fraud. There have been cases of corruption in the 2014 elections and the political parties have seen that it is something the community is concerned over. Each party has addressed this concern and suggested ways in which to limit this corruption. Not only is corruption morally wrong, but it causes trust problems between the community and people in power, the people who are meant to help society. (1)