1 JUN 2022

Corruption

Leonardo Martinez and Diego Elvir

 What is Corruption

We define corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for

private gain. Corruption erodes trust, weakens democracy,
hampers economic development and further exacerbates
inequality, poverty, social division and the environmental crisis.
 What causes Corruption
Among the most common
causes of corruption are the
political and economic
environment, professional
ethics and morality and, of
course, habits, customs,
tradition and demography. Its
effects on the economy (and
also on the wider society) are
well researched, yet still not
completely.
In summary, political corruption
can be attributed to strong
urban traditions of ethnic
voting, semicorrupt police, and
bribe-offering contractors along
with decentralized and
inefficient law enforcement
machinery.
Countries with more Corruption

South Sudan - 11 Yemen - 16

Somalia - 13 Equatorial Guinea - 17
Syria - 13 Libya - 17
Venezuela - 14 Burundi - 19
Afghanistan - 16 Congo (Dem. Republic of) - 19
North Korea - 16 Turkmenistan - 19
 Countries with less Corruption

Denmark - 88 Sweden - 85
Finland - 88 Switzerland - 84
New Zealand - 88 Netherlands - 82
Norway - 85 Luxembourg - 81
Singapore - 85 Germany - 80
Corruption in Venezuela

The large amount of corruption and mismanagement in the country

has resulted in severe economic difficulties, part of the crisis in
Bolivarian Venezuela. Transparency International's 2019 Corruption
Perception Index ranks the country in 173rd place out of 180 countries.
Solutions for Corruption
Make Elections More Transparent
Corrupt government officials can usually find ways to stay in office. And citizens can vote for re-
election without realizing how corrupt their representatives are. Making elections more
transparent can have an impact on this trend.In Delhi, India, a randomly selected pool of citizens
was given ‘report cards’ of officials running for office. These ‘report cards’ had information on the
qualifications and past performance of candidates. In the areas where citizens had the report
cards, the quality of governance increased. Delhi is a perfect case study in the power of
transparent elections. When citizens understand who they’re voting for, they can make better
decisions. That leads to better government, with less corruption.
Increase Civic Education
Voters don’t just need to understand who people they’re electing to office. They also need to have
a broad understanding of what that official is doing while in office. Civic education is vital to this
goal. Giving citizens of developing countries the tools to understand their political rights is key to
reducing corruption.Researchers confirmed this in Uganda. In their study, citizens were provided
with information about the hijacking of public funds by local officials. Due to this information
campaign, public officials stopped redirecting public funds to their private bank accounts.
Consequently, there was an increase in money that reached schools. This led to more children
attending school. Giving citizens access to information they deserve gives them a voice. And when
it comes to reducing corruption, their voices are the most important.
Types of Corruption Pt. 1
Extortion: is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions
it is likely to constitute a criminal offense; the bulk of this article deals with such
cases.
Bribery: is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence
the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty.
Fraud :Fraud is a deliberate act (or failure to act) with the intention of obtaining an
unauthorized benefit, either for oneself or for the institution, by using deception or
false suggestions or suppression of truth or other unethical means, which are
believed and relied upon by others. Depriving another person or the institution of a
benefit to which he/she/it is entitled by using any of the means described above also
constitutes fraud.
Types of Corruption Pt. 2
Influence peddling is the practice of using one's influence in government or
connections with persons in authority to obtain favours or preferential
treatment for another, usually in return for payment. Also called traffic of
influence or trading in influence.
Nepotism is a form of favouritism that is granted to relatives and friends in
various fields, including business, politics, entertainment, sports, fitness,
religion, and other activities. The term originated with the assignment of
nephews to important positions by Catholic popes and bishops.
Embezzlement is the act of withholding assets for the purpose of conversion of
such assets, by one or more persons to whom the assets were entrusted, either
to be held or to be used for specific purposes. Embezzlement is a type of
financial fraud.
Favouritism is the practice of giving unfair preferential treatment to one person
or group at the expense of another.
 Effects of Corruption
In a nutshell, corruption increases inequality, decreases popular
accountability and political responsiveness, and thus produces
rising frustration and hardship among citizens, who are then
more likely to accept (or even demand) hard-handed and
illiberal tactics.