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Corruption

Corruption has many diverse causes that depend on the specific context. Weakening social values that prioritize personal gain over public interest contribute to increasing corruption. Lack of transparency and accountability in government institutions also enable corruption. Additionally, corruption stems from human imperfections like selfishness and greed. Poverty and low salaries can force officials into need-driven corruption to support their families. Institutional factors like monopoly powers, lack of oversight, and weak civil society also cause corruption. Political and societal attitudes that do not discourage corruption can further enable its spread. In India specifically, corruption stems from unnecessary bureaucracy as well as both exploitative and collusive corruption between officials and citizens.

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Dipankar Debnath
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38 views1 page

Corruption

Corruption has many diverse causes that depend on the specific context. Weakening social values that prioritize personal gain over public interest contribute to increasing corruption. Lack of transparency and accountability in government institutions also enable corruption. Additionally, corruption stems from human imperfections like selfishness and greed. Poverty and low salaries can force officials into need-driven corruption to support their families. Institutional factors like monopoly powers, lack of oversight, and weak civil society also cause corruption. Political and societal attitudes that do not discourage corruption can further enable its spread. In India specifically, corruption stems from unnecessary bureaucracy as well as both exploitative and collusive corruption between officials and citizens.

Uploaded by

Dipankar Debnath
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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CAUSES OF CORRUPTION

Available research reveals that the causes of corruption are diverse and depend on the
different contextual environments. TI held that corruption is rearing its ugly head in more
and more sever ways due to the weakening of social values, with the broader public
interest and social responsibility being subordinated to the enhancement of material status
in the personal ethics of many.23 Besides, lack of transparency and accountability in the
public integrity systems are contributing factors for corruption. 24There is also a biblical
explanation for the causes of corruption. After Adam broke the law and committed sin to
his posterity, what follows upon this is, ‘the corruption of nature derived unto them from
him’; by which is meant, ‘the general 7 depravity of mankind, of all the individuals of human
nature, and of all the powers and faculties of the soul, and members of the body’.25 As
noted by Ringera in a speech delivered at the Commonwealth lawyer’s conference, the
causes of corruption are economic, institutional, political or societal. As Human nature is
imperfect, corruption will exist in all human endeavors. Selfishness and greed are the
constituting elements of human imperfection which leads to corruption. 26 The economic
causes of corruption are related to pecuniary considerations, representing corruption that
is need-driven as opposed to greed driven. This assertion is further confirmed by TI in
attributing poverty and low salary as causes of corruption.27 Increase of wants and inability
to maintain one’s family lives forces officials to compromise public trust and honesty for
some fringe benefits. Institutional causes of corruption include monopoly and wide
discretionary powers for public officers, poor accountability, lack of effective and efficient
enforcement of the law, absence of institutional mechanisms to deal with corruption,
existence of a weak civil society, and the absence of press freedom.28 Klitgaard shares the
same view with Ringera by holding that corruption is prevalent when ‘someone has
monopoly power over a good or service, has the discretion to decide whether you receive it
and how much you get, and is not accountable.’29 The political causes of corruption arise
from the structure and functions of political institutions, and the acquisition and exercise of
political power. While societal causes refer to the attitudes and practices of the community.
As the problem of corruption is multi-faceted, its causes are also diverse. The Santhanam
Committee constituted by the Central Government of India, has identified certain
procedural causes of corruption like red tape and administrative delay, unnecessary
regulations, scope of personal discretion, cumbersome procedures, scarcity of goods and
services, and lack of transparency. In India there are two dimensions of corruption. One is
exploitative corruption where the public servant or the private party entrusted to perform
the specific tasks exploits the helpless poor citizen. The second one is collusive corruption
where the citizen corrupts the public servant by bribe and avails better benefits.

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