[World Issues: Corruption]
World Issues – Corruption
What comes first into your mind when you hear the word “corruption”? Well, I am sure that most of you think of matters related to money, for example, bribery. However, this is not the case as there are numerous forms of corruption. An example of it is cheating. Yes, you have read it right. Even a supposedly minor act comes under the category of corruption. Let’s take a look at the definition of corruption to understand why this is the case. According to the Oxford dictionary, corruption is a “dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power”. In this case, it can be concluded that corruption is the abuse of entrusted power to private gain. Corruption can be classified as large, small, political, etc. depending on the sector in which it occurs, Now, we will walk you through the details regarding corruption in order to have a clear understanding of it.
We are now aware of what corruption is. However, have you ever thought about the root of corruption or from where does it start? Well, the first reason may sound obvious. It may start from a seemingly small act such as cheating, which we have discussed earlier. Cheating is closely related to corruption because it has the same background, that is the desire to achieve private gains in an unfair way. Cheating and corruption have several similarities which include cooperation between two or more people, the parties hiding their behavior from the authorities, and also, both of them violate the interests of the wider community. Corruption may also start as a result of cultural environments which ignores and condones corruption such as bribery, etc. Claiming bribery as an act which everyone normally does is an example of it. Other crucial factors like the lack of moral education, income inequality, weak regulations, etc. can be the root of corruption.
As time goes on, people may become habituated to performing greater acts of corruption. Corruption can also be committed by anyone and occurs everywhere such as in business,
government, courts, organizations, in civil society, and in all sectors ranging from health and education to infrastructure and sports. There are many forms of large corruption because corruption can adapt to different contexts and changing circumstances. This allows corruption to continue to develop as a response to changes in rules, laws, and technology. Large forms of corruption are also often called political corruption. So now, let’s discuss some more types of it. The first one is nepotism. Nepotism is a practice in which a person with power provides their families or friends with an undue advantage. For example, it may be easier for a politician’s child, in comparison to “normal” people, to enter the political world. The second example is bribery. Bribery happens when a person or a group provides a valuable item to an official or a person with legal power in order to influence their actions. Providing an official with money in order to get a job is one example of it. Other examples of political corruption include cronyism, embezzlement, parochialism, etc.
In this case, The most destructive types of political corruption occur mostly in the ranks of high political officers and are validated by the compilation of politicians and elites, who have the proper to make and implement laws on behalf of the people, make laws which might be according to their selfish interests. This can cause institutional damage, loss of legitimacy and social unrest, weaken democracy, hamper economic development, exacerbate inequality, create social divisions, and cause crises. Although various regulations have been made to prevent corruption, in reality, corruption continues to occur. This is because corruption occurs in the shadows. What is meant by the shadows is because, in its implementation, corruption often involves professional people who have important positions so that the possibility of corruption schemes continues to grow and is able to hide their illicit wealth.
In any context from those in government to society, corruption can be opposed by upholding transparency. Transparency in this context is to find out who, why, what, how, and how much. So that transparency can explain the rules, plans, processes, and formal and informal actions. Transparency can help people who have the authority to take responsibility for their work for the common good.
References:
- https://www.transparency.org/en/what-is-corruption
- https://blog.iese.edu/ethics/2014/11/06/corruption-10-possible-causes/
- https://www.u4.no/topics/anti-corruption-basics/basics
- https://www.minpostel.gov.cm/index.php/en/vie-associative/296-types-and-impact-of- corruption
- https://www.lexico.com/definition/corruption