Introduction
For centuries, corruption has been a global menace overlooking ethnic, cultural, economic and political boundaries. Regardless of how developed or stable a nation is, corruption has proven prevalent despite years of research on its remedies. Corruption has marked both modern era occurrences like the Trump leadership in the US and historical events such as the apartheid system in South Africa (Rowntree et al. 368). As such, most nations have given up on finding a solution to this global catastrophe and have instead embarked on devising measures to minimize the issue. This study illustrates the various perspectives of corruption held by diverse cultures of the world. It also analyses the aspect of corruption based on different disciplines and how these subjects propose measures to curb corruption.
Role of different cultures regarding corruption
North America
America’s has, for the longest time possible, had a strict policy on corruption. This can be depicted by the historical Benjamin Franklin’s snuff box gift. According to Teachout, following Franklin’s visit to France in 1785 he was issued an expensive gift by Louis XVI, which most Americans strongly condemned as its sumptuousness was believed to have corruptive influence (1). Although such a gesture would have been perceived differently by Europeans, America’s strong feelings towards the action illustrate their corruption intolerant culture during early periods.
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"Global Corruption".
The contemporary era has however witnessed a slight relaxation on this strict culture leading to an increase in cases of corruption across the country. According to Rowbottom, the legal and political system has recently had divergent views of corruption with some high profile people in government attempting to redefine corruption to suit their needs (1). The trump reign has further heightened the corruption situation in the US with some speculating that the president’s election was based on corruption and malpractice (Rowbottom 1).
Latin America
According to Blake and Morris, Latin America has experienced some of the highest levels of corruption in the world (98). This issue has not only affected its political sector but also the justice and law enforcement departments. This has led to a culture of mistrust between the police and the entire legal system and the Latino citizens across all Latin nations (Blake and Morris 98). This intense level of corruption can perhaps be attributed to the high rates of drug trafficking among the nations, leading to the rise of powerful cartels that control the system. Blake and Morris, however, argue that a corrupt system does not necessarily mean that the citizens are corruption tolerant, rather, the culture of injustice in favor the affluent has led to strong feelings of hatred and resentment towards corruption (100). Latin America, therefore, has divided opinion on corruption as the less fortunate view it from a negative perspective while a majority of the wealthy have embraced it as an advantage.
Europe
A 2009 survey conducted by TNS Opinion &Social indicated that a majority of Europeans acknowledge that corruption exists in all institutions and at every level (59). Apart from embracing this negative reality, a great number of Europeans also pointed out that corruption has extended its roots to supranational institutions such as the European Union (EU). The survey further depicted that most citizens blame this situation on the government’s reluctance and the ineffectiveness of instruments designed to combat corruption (TNS Opinion &Social 59). Opinions about the nature of corruption, however, differ from one nation to another. Denmark, for instance, perceives corruption as a national issue while other nations such as Bulgaria and Greece perceive it as a rational problem.
Africa
Home to some of the poorest nations in the world, corruption is undeniable prevalent in Africa. According to Attoh et al., Africans strongly disapprove corruption as an unethical behavior especially if it concerns public officials (20). Also, Africans view corruption from a moral perspective of right and wrong and not a legal one. Corruption in Africa is perceived to have “corrosive effects on popular trust in the institutions of African states” (Attoh et al. 20). African citizens attribute the loss of democracy to corrupt practices by public officials and those who continue to finance them in order to obtain institutional favors.
A view of corruption from other fields
Religion
Religion is closely linked with ethics and tends to view corruption from a behavioral approach (Fotaki et al. 1). Since religion relates to matters of faith, any particular aspect of corruption is analyzed from the teachings of the faith that one professes to. According to Fotaki et al., some religious people’s look up to of God’s forgiving nature and, as a result, are more likely to tolerate unethical behaviors(1). However, those who perceive God from a fear aspect are more hesitant to accepting “ethically questionable scenarios,” and are hence less likely to tolerate corruption (Fotaki et al. 1). Although religion generally condemns any unethical behavior, the degree of tolerance on corruption varies from religion to religion and is more complex at an individual level.
Political
Corruption is a fundamental concept in politics as it indicates degradation, destruction, and death of a society (Rendtorff 127). Multiple political philosophers argue against corruption citing its destructive nature on the fundamentals of life and society. According to Rendtorff, corruption not only affects the social structure but also the democratic foundations and political economy of a people (127). Political analysts argue that there is a close link between justice and integrity, hence the more reason to refrain from corrupt practices. Political principles advocate for politics of amnesty, a situation in which individuals caught performing corrupt practices are punished after which they are offered a chance to be reintegrated back to the political community (Rendtorff 132).
Legal
The modern-day legal definitions of technical terms such as corruption draw from the ethical principles once formulated by moral philosophers (Nujiten 1). Despite the speculations that law and corruptions are exact opposites, Anderson argues that Corruption is “at the very core of order”, implying that both are constitutive of each other, thus none can exist without the other (12). Due to this close relationship, the constant monitoring of legal bodies is quite crucial since they formulate and implement these laws and are hence highly susceptible to corruption. The legal dimension of corruption is quite broad and the law does not only limit corruption to violation rather a number of other factors such as performative qualities (Anderson 17). This argument implies that certain aspects of corruption are ethically codified, hence certain mannerisms may be disguised as etiquette while in fact, they are corruption attempts (Anderson 17). For instance, an individual, upon attainment of a certain service, may want show gratitude to a public official when, however, their real intention is to make room for potential favors. This is a different and more complex nature of corruption.
Solutions to corruption offered by these perspectives
Solutions from a religious aspect
There is a growing supposition that religious believers are more ethical as opposed to non- religious ones (Marquette 1). As a result, a number of philosophers advocate for the integration of religious principles into one’s personal values to aid in decision making and, in the long run, help minimize corruption. Therefore, an increase in membership towards religious communities serves as a way to increase the upholding of moral values and reduce unethical occurrences such as corruption (Marquette 14).
Solution from a Political Aspect
Political reforms instigated by ruling institutions are a major way to minimize corruption from a political aspect. These reforms entail proper remuneration policies, adoption of a transparent culture in governmental spending and establishment of conventions to act as watchdogs. One of the internationally known conventions is the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNAC) (Lopez-Claros 1). Perhaps the most effective remedy is the globalization of democracy campaigns by international bodies such as the UN, EU, UAE and other organs, to their member states; as it exerts pressure on local governments to perform.
Solution from a Legal Aspect
According to Carr, the imposition of regulatory measures is one of the legal steps that aid in the fight against corruption (7). The creation and implementation of stringent laws pertaining corrupt practices enforced with tough penalties is one way that the legal discipline plays its role in combating corruption. Also, the intensive training exercises imparted on legal practitioners and professionals such as magistrates and attorneys serve as a measure to instill a professional culture into them enabling them to not only master their skill but also maintain the discipline required to carry out their duties hence fight corruption.
Conclusion
Despite all the measures proposed in the fight against global corruption, they may still not be enough. This is because, unlike other global problems, corruption is human, that is, corruption is embedded in an individual’s personality making it difficult to isolate such practice. Further research should, therefore, be done in order to devise measures to segregate a corrupt nature from individuals. Furthermore, all the mentioned disciplines and many others should work in harmony to counter global corruption. Nevertheless, the commendable determination by a few governments in the fight against corruption proves that all is not lost.
- Anderson, G, and Monique Nuijten. Corruption and the secret of law: An introduction, 2008.
- Attoh, Daniel Arma, et al. Corruption And Institutional Trust In Africa: Implications For Democratic Development, 2008.
- Blake, Charles H, and Stephen D Morris. Corruption & Democracy in Latin America. University of Pittsburgh Pre, 2009.
- Carr, Indira. “Corruption, legal solutions and limits of law.” International Journal of Law in Context, vol. 3, no. 03, 2008.
- Fotaki, Marianna, et al. “Can Religion Help in the Fight against Corruption? Evidence from Marketing and Management in Saudi Arabia: A Behavioral Ethics Perspective.” Harvard University, 2015, ethics.harvard.edu/
- Lopez-Claros, Augusto. “Six Strategies to Fight Corruption.” Future Development, The World Bank, 14 May 2014, blogs.worldbank.org
- Marquette, Heather. “‘Finding God’ Or ‘Moral Disengagement’ In The Fight Against Corruption In Developing Countries? Evidence From India And Nigeria.” Public Administration and Development, vol. 32, no. 1, 2012, pp. 11–26.
- Rendtorff, Jacob. “The Concept of Corruption: Moral and Political Perspectives.” Organization and Management, vol. 2010, no. 1 (139), Jan. 2010.
- Rowbottom, Jacob. “Opinion | The U.S. and Britain see corruption very differently. Here’s why.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 4 May 2016, www.washingtonpost.com/
- Rowntree, Lester, et al. Globalization and diversity: geography of a changing world. 5th ed., Pearson, 2016.
- Teachout, Zephyr. Corruption in America: from Benjamin Franklin’s snuff box to Citizens United. Harvard University Press, 2014.
- TNS Opinion &Social. Attitudes of Europeans towards Corruption Full report. Eurobarometer, 2009, pp. 1–89, Attitudes of Europeans towards Corruption Full report.
