Governance and Corruption: Is History Repeating? (original) (raw)

Challenges in the study of corruption. Approaches and policy implications

In the last decades a chain of scandals fuelled a growing popular awareness of the relevance of corruption as an hidden factor which may negatively affect political and economic decisionmaking in public policies -in terms of growing ineffectiveness and inequality -not only in less developed and authoritarian regimes, but also in advanced capitalist democracies. This article offers a critical review of the three main theoretical paradigms of analysis of corruption, the economic, cultural and neo-institutional approach, focusing on the latter. A typology provides a general scheme of interpretation of the "institutional" equilibria within systemic corruption, which may provide also a guide for anticorruption policies. Reversing the neoliberal logic which recommends a reduction of the State's role, popular mobilization from below can be considered as the potentially most effective anticorruption strategy in order to break down the robust equilibria of systemic corruption, increasing politicians' responsiveness to the public expectation of stronger integrity in the public sphere.

The CONCEPT OF CORRUPTION: A THEORETICAL EXPOSITION

TheJournalish: Social and Government, 2021

This paper examines the theories and conceptual definitions of corruption. It explores the manifestation of corruption in both developed and developing countries. Methodologically, the paper adopted a qualitative research technique of data collection through the content analysis of empirical studies conducted by classical and contemporary scholars. Some of the theoretical thrusts in the analysis of corruption in this work are the Idealist, Functionalist theories and Political economy approach. After thorough and careful assessment of the scholarly views on corruption, the paper discovered that the menace of corruption also manifest in developed countries but it is more acute in developing countries of the world Keywords: Corruption, theory, developed countries, developing countries

Three paradigms for the analysis of corruption

In the last decades a growing awareness emerged of the relevance of corruption as an hidden factor which may negatively affect political and economic decision-making processes. In spite of a lively scientific debate there is no general consensus on a commonly accepted definition of what corruption is.

What is Corruption: A political and philosophical approach

This study about Corruption is not based on a specific juridical or economic approach. Corruption can also be considered as a moral and philosophical issue. The emphasise here is given to a political and philosophical approach with a focus on the last and the most important evolutions of Western Societies: the decline of the State and the decline of values. Writers and scholars, whom I used as references for this paper, have been studying each of these evolutions for the last 20 years in the West. Globalization is an important fact related to these problems. But how and why? Sociologists and philosophers have been focusing on these issues to study the social and political crisis. To understand what corruption is, we will need to understand the function and nature of the structural crisis of Western societies at the level of Institutions and values. But, how would corruption be related to these facts? These are the questions developed in this paper. 1-What is Corruption? Theoretically, corruption is functioning as an anti-system. The first point is to understand that all systems function following an order. In fact, system means order. In the context of this study, the concept of order is used as organization. But, without an anti-order, the order does not make real sense. What gives sense to a system is the anti-system. Consequently, corruption is an anti-system giving sense to the system itself, as a part of it, as a part of its reality. As all orders have inevitably an anti-order, so all political systems contain a certain potential possibility for corruption! However, this approach which approves corruption as a part of the system, observes it as an anti-democratic reality, which should be studied carefully. So the question is: What is corruption? How and why does it emerge in a system which seems willing to be based on freedom, pluralism and democracy. The first observation should focus on the relation between the individual and the State. Corruption is an attitude, and it is generally related to the disobedience of individuals to the law, and law is most often created and supported by the State. Excessive individual freedom and the blind points in legislative structure may create an attitude of disregard for the law. But in civilized societies, this equation of the relation of individual and State is highly complicated. Therefore, blundering the law does not necessarily create corruption. The history of Western-modern civilization shows that social evolution is fundamentally conditioned by freedom as an absolute necessity for individual initiative and creativity.

The Phenomenon of Corruption in Public Administration

2017

The phenomenon of corruption has more or less taken place in all periods of history in human life. Bribery, which is the most concrete version of corruption, is being increasingly debated in human society. Before nations were born, corruption took place in people’s personal affairs, mostly in trading. After the birth of world nations, corruption has widened its dimensions and developed in the purpose of using the power of public authorities; which then later become a fact, which affected the relations between the government and the public. It has now become an important issue within the system of relations in public administration. The term “good governance” is an important factor in the fight against corruption and has been voiced often in recent years by international organizations. According to The World Bank, which use this term very often, state that “good governance” is epitomized by predictable, open, and enlightened policy making (that is, transparent processes); a bureaucra...

Review THE DEBILITATING IMPACT OF CORRUPTION ON DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

2014

Corruption knows no bounds and manifests itself in both public and private spaces. The endemic nature of corruption tends to make it a common phenomenon both in the public and private sectors and have a negative impact on the existing democratic governance processes and economic growth. Corruption has numerous dimensions and manifestations all of which erode the social, political and economic fabric of the political society. This paper provides a working definition of corruption and discusses the different types and manifestations of corruption and the overall impact of corruption on democracy, governance and civil society. The paper also challenges investigations of corruption in general. The paper concludes that endemic corruption stalls economic growth, debilitate democratic practices with a likelihood of a degeneration of democratic governance to despotism and authoritarianism.

The Complex Phenomenon of Corruption: An Empirical Analysis

Theoretical Economics Letters, 2022

Corruption is a complex social, economic and political phenomenon, which exists in all countries. The structural characteristics of corruption differ between countries. The deeper roots of corruption depend on the individual conditions of each country, whereas they can be detected in bureaucratic tradition, economic development and social history, among others. At the policy level, the associated reform measures are inadequate if they are not supported by the appropriate institutional framework and good governance practices. However, in case policies that are applied in order to combat corruption fail, it evolves from occasional to endemic problems impeding the efforts to limit corruption. In addition, fragile institutional environments flourish the conditions strengthening systemic corruption, which has penetrated into the value system of societies.

Putting Corruption in Context : The philosophical underpinnings of the nature, drivers of and remedies to corruption

名古屋大学法政論集, 2014

The concept of corruption is usually defined as: the abuse of public office for personal gain. Salient characteristics of corruption gleaned from the definition are stated and their significance explained, e.g., that the public/private distinction is presupposed in the definition. Why misconduct in the use of discretion can be rational, and why it should be called corruption are explained. Based on a better understanding of why the public/private distinction is necessary for governance based on public interest, further understanding of the situational rationality of corruption and measures necessary for combating corruption are discussed. Through this exercise, the philosophical underpinnings of the nature of corruption as well as the method for identifying drivers of and remedies to corruption are elucidated.