Running head: CORRUPTION- WHERE DOES IT START?

Corruption- where does it start?

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Corruption: Where does it start?

Corruption is prevalent in many organizations including the judiciary, police, in schools and businesses. Political corruption is the most common type that is seen in many countries. Political corruption is defined in the article “Corruption –Definitions” as the exploitation of authority for personal gain. The extent of corruption varies from minor ones involving returning favors to major corruption acts including institutional bribery. Corruption begins both in bureaucratic and political offices and can either be grand, petty, prearranged or unorganized. Corruption facilitates crimes like embezzlement, prostitution and drug trafficking though this are not the only crimes that are linked to corruption. If an institution or a country is interested in wiping out corruption, then it is necessary to analyze corruption effectively and distinguish it from other crime.

What is the root cause of this vice? Who is to blame when a government official takes a bribe or when a company defrauds its consumers by inflating their prices? Mark (2009) argues that the root cause of corruption is bad parenting because it is the responsibility of parents to teach their children the difference between right and wrong at a tender age. It is the parents’ duty to teach their children that it is bad to lie or steal from others. It is evident that most of the values in children are passed on from their parents either deliberately or unintentionally.

According to Wendy (2004), corrupt acts like taking bribes can be a way of escaping punishment. Individuals in the wrong can give bribes in order to evade punishment by either the police or the judicial system. A bribe is viewed as a convenient way for one to easily get what they want. People with a low pay or minimum wages feel that they have to accept bribe so as to make a decent living. Corrupt individuals are selfish and insensitive to the suffering caused by their corrupt acts owing to their greedy nature. They go out of their way to justify their corrupt acts just because they benefit from it and at the same time become deep rooted in this vice of corruption.

Corruption poses a major threat to the development of a country or an institution by undermining good governance and democracy. Corruption in legislative bodies and in and in the electoral process decreases accountability and policymaking representation. At the same time, corruption challenges the authenticity of government and democratic ethics such as tolerance and trust. Corruption also destabilizes economic growth through generation of distortion and inefficiency in the private and the public sector as discussed in the article “Corruption –Definitions.” Corruption is evident in many countries and poses a major obstacle to the welfare of local citizens. Political corruption implies that government policies are meant to benefit only a few including those who give bribes and not the country.

Conclusively, Corruption is a vice that is evident in many institutions and countries. It undermines good supremacy and democracy by posing a threat to the development of a country or an institution. The source of corruption can be due to the bad parenting skills evident in the current generation as explored by Mark (2009). Parents bear the responsibility of education their children the distinction between right and wrong at a tender age. Corruption as discussed by Wendy (2004), can be as a result of low wages paid to workers who in turn feel the need to receive bribes in order to make a descent living. It is also a way for criminal offender to evade punishment by offering bribes either to judges or the police. Institutions or countries with the intention of wiping out corruption should first analyze its root cause and work towards eliminating the disgracing vice.

References

Wendy, S. “What Are the Causes of Corruption?” China Daily. 09 February 2004. Retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://chinadaily.cn/english/doc/2004-02/09/content_304379.htm” http://chinadaily.cn/english/doc/2004-02/09/content_304379.htm

Mark, S. “Corruption: Where Does It Start?”Giving New Meaning to Parenting. 26th January 2009. Retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://gnmparents.com/corruption-where-does-it-start-2/” http://gnmparents.com/corruption-where-does-it-start-2/

“Corruption – Definition.” Word IQ. Retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://www.wordiq.com/definitio/corruption” http://www.wordiq.com/definitio/corruption