Archive for the ‘Corruption’ Category

• Why You Should Care About Corruption

  Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

  Globally, each year, one trillion dollars is wasted, according to the estimates of the World Bank due to corruption. Wealth is decreased in a corrupt country and lowers the standards of living. Corruption will affect you indirectly, like discouraging businesses from operating in corrupt countries and in turn reduces the overall health and wealth of the country. It can reduce the amount of funds a government has to pay its public servants and reduce the amount of supplies, like medicine, books or computers. Corruption will distort governments use of money that will effect the efficiencies of health clinics, schools, roads, infrastructures, emergency operations and worse, allows those with money or connections to twist the laws and government in their favor; undermining the trust in government.

  According to research, countries that combat corruption, increase their national incomes by as much as four times. Businesses will grow as much as 3% faster and child mortality will fall as much as 75 percent.

  The reason corruption thrives are the opportunities created by companies lack with anti-corruption policies, because in doing so they can get transactions done faster. This lack of accountability makes getting caught a non-issue. This lack of accountability is due to a lack of transparency. For example: a public official won’t inform or for that matter, have to explain what they are doing or why. Plus, a weak enforcement of anti-corruption laws, like not imposing sanctions, contribute to the success with corrupt practices. Other contributing factors are bad incentives, like a clerk not earning enough to live on, or not being secure in keeping the job, will most definitely supplement his income with bribes and the attitudes or circumstances make the average person disregard the law, especially if they consider their government to be corrupt or illegitimate.

  So, consider this: instead of bribing officials to obtain something that you consider of value, you should realize that bribes contributes to the deterioration of the country. Instead, you should work to change the circumstances and help build up the countries stability.