A Close Up View of Corruption and Integrity of Four Nations

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Stereotypes exist that display only the poorer, lesser-developed nations are filled with corruption. Actually, corruption is as much a problem for the wealthier developed nations as it is for the poor countries. The proportion of corruption in all countries is determined by their adopted controls and checks. Corruption is found on a wide scale when the attraction meets tolerance of such behavior. Somalia and Afghanistan are two countries that are generally plagued with the worst of corruption. Corruption has gone way beyond what is typical or acceptable in Afghanistan. The continual catastrophe in Somalia has been caused by a succession of oppressive rulers and their terrible policies.

Time and again placing in the least corrupt countries of the world are New Zealand and Sweden. The nations have managed to fight off corruption by having strong oversight of their government and most importantly, a free media and an energetic civil society. Failure to provide these basic traits results in ongoing corruption and a dire future for the population. The countries showing bad corruption levels are those that have been plagued by long conflicts and war, which has torn apart their infrastructure and government.

Close up View

Corruption can be defined as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. Transparency International (TI) breaks down the definition even further. IT states that “There is a large difference between "according to rule" corruption and "against the rule" corruption.” “Facilitation payments occurs when a bribe is paid to receive special treatment for something that the party receiving the bribe is required to do by law, this makes up the “according to rule”. The latter, or against th...

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...p View

The commonalities the least and worst corrupt nations share is their importance of an ethical government, a freely operating media, an economic system that develops a prosperous society. Failure to provide these basic traits results in ongoing corruption and a dire future for the population. The countries showing bad corruption levels are those that have been plagued by long conflicts and war, which has torn apart their infrastructure and government.

Works Cited

http://www.transparency.org/news_room /corruption_faq

http://www.csmonitor.com//2010/0604/A-three-pronged-approach-to-confront-Afghanistan-s-corruption

http://news.bbc.co.uk/business/7012367.stm

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2009/11/2009.html

http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-205.html

http://www.csmonitor.com//2010/0604/A-three-pronged-approach-to-confront-Afghanistan-s-corruption

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