Definition essay

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Definition of Corruption

The word corruption could have varied definitions and meanings but they all diverge to the same area of being fraudulent or unethical. The word corruption origins’ is latin and firstly appeared as corrumpere, which is cor and rumpere that accordingly means altogether and to break. Then, in mid-14c a new form emerged to the literature world from the old French. This form is Corropt which means “unhealthy.” The introduction of the word from Latin to French changed its spelling and form. Since then, the word began to appear in the old French literature and brought up new meanings and uses of the word. The definitions of corruption along history are to spoil (anything) in quality 1526, to induce to act dishonestly or unfaithfully; to make venal; to bribe 1548, to debase, destroy the purity of (a language, etc.)

Pellegrini (22) defines corruption as fraudulent or dishonest conduct by those in power. The problem of corruption has perturbed policy makers, social scientists, and philosophers since the time of Aristotle. While some nations have achieved substantial reductions of corruption, the Corruption Perception Index remains high all over the world (Pellegrini, 23). This means that corruption is not a new phenomenon. Notably, two thousand years ago, the prime minister of an Indian King by the name of Kautilya discussed the issue of corruption in his book titled Arthashastra. Dante, seven centuries ago placed bribers and purveyors of corruption in the deepest parts of hell (Brioschi, 62). This reflects the medieval distance for the corrupt behaviors that are eminent in the world today. Shakespeare accorded the menace of corruption great prominence in one of his plays. The American Constitution made corruption one of the two explicitly mentioned and serious crimes that could amount to the impeachment of the United States President (Brioschi, 66).

Based on the feedback from the interviews, the interviewees provided different interpretations of corruption in reference to various scholars who have done extensive research on corruption. One of the interviewees, my father, defined corruption as any behavior that contravenes ethical universalism. Ethical universalism supposes that the implications of an action or a decision apply equally to everyone irrespective of the circumstance. He defined it as the any actions that lead to lack of fairness (without discrimination or favoritism) in the public administration. The interviewee conceptualized the menace of corruption as one of the ways that public officers utilize as a leeway to siphon state resources for personal use other than serving public interests, which is the fundamental purpose they are supposed to serve. According to Uslaner & Rothstein (96), systematic corruption is deeply rooted in the underlying political and social structure. This argument is line with the emergent body of literature about historical institutionalism that argues that the historical conditions ranging from the natural resources to institutions can accrue long-term effects on democratization and economic prosperity. This definition is also close to the illustration of Uslaner & Rothstein (96) who revealed that countries with the biggest primary schools enrolments in the 1900 shown the largest gross domestic product and per capita a century later. In other words, a lot of dynamism is evident in the historic levels of corruption. The persistence of great levels of corruption in many nations indicates that its roots stem from various long-term factors rather than from the contemporary institutional changes that have come with more structured governments. It is for this reason that Uslaner & Rothstein (97) concludes that the universal education remains to be a vital factor in curbing and reducing levels of corruption in the country. In a nutshell, lack of education is one of the primary causes of corruption especially that which is rampant among the developing nations. As per the definition above, it is evident that the central aim of bribers is to illegitimately acquire resources through dubious means.

The second definition of corruption is that it is the practice of abusing public office for private benefit. This is the definition that relates to that which is provided by the World Bank. Taking a keen analysis of this definition, it is established that the author assumed that corruption cannot be witnessed in a public office. However, corruption is evident in many private enterprises today. Take for instance in the procurement procedures and hiring. Misconduct is rampant as cases of nepotism and conflict of interest are so profound in both public and private offices (Tanzi, 207). In many cases of corruption, the abuse of a public office is not necessarily meant for benefiting an individual person. This can target to extend benefits to a given party, family, friends, class, and tribe among other entities.

In fact, the proceeds of corruption in many countries are used to finance political parties. It is worth noting that not all corruption deals are perpetrated through payment of bribes. For instance, if a public servant claims that they are sick and requests for a vacation to accomplish his own private missions, they are committing a malpractice. This is an abuse of a leadership position for someone’s personal gain. The interviewee hence stated that corruption does not mean that a bribe must be paid. There are other actions that also amount to corruption. Take for instance the president who has influenced an airport to be established in his hometown despite the fact that it is not the best site for construction. This is also an act of corruption despite the fact that no bribe has been paid. By this definition, it can be established that corruption can be defined in different ways, but each one of them is lacking in some aspect. However, despite the challenge in defining corruption, it is not difficult to confirm a corrupt deal or act from what is observed. Certain behaviors connote to corruption, but it is difficult to notice them since acts of corruption do not mostly take place in broad daylight.

The third definition of corruption takes a legalistic approach. It denotes corruption as any act that breaches the legal codes, especially when administering public duties to accomplish personal achievements. However, the credibility of this definition is disputable once the significance of power in defining what the law and the indeterminacy of what comprises the legal codes are recognized. The definition is line with the definition of Pellegrini (25) who also takes a legal perspective in defining corruption. He underscores how powerful interests can be used to influence the legal codes that are eventually used to justify the status quo and further in pursuance of the personal welfare. Hence, in light of the above definition, legal provisions and codes remain to be a dubious benchmark for defining corrupt behaviors and acts. It is important to understand that the fact that a certain act or behavior has not been delineated in the legal codes as corruption does not mean the absence of corruption. It is an indicator of a powerful influence to undermine the rule of law. Definition of corruption on the basis of legal codes is problematic because world nations have diverse legal frameworks. This is an indication that this definition is also lacking some aspects that are key to understanding the issue of corruption, causes and how it can be mitigated and eradicated from the society completely.

On the basis of the definitions above, the occurrence of corruption is usually sanctioned by the law itself. This means that irrespective of the definition, any act or behavior that suggests the element of corruption amounts to a crime. Some literature indicates that the reason the world governments have been unable to fight corruption and uproot it from the society is because even the enforcement agents that are tasked with the mandate to punish offenders are also culprits of massive corruption. This means that laws alone cannot eradicate corruption. Ethical codes and morality are also key aspects that should be embraced to avert and reduce corruption in all its forms.

Corruption is a first world problem that has been established by Transparency International to be the major cause of the poverty experienced around the globe today. It is evident at all the levels of the society from national to local governments, judiciary functions, small and large businesses, and military among other areas. Some of the predominant challenges associated with corruption include derailed political development, slow economic growth, social injustices, and environmental degradation among other pertinent issues that affect the world today. Corruption, further damages trust, undermines the rule of law and prevents efficient delivery of services by the government. In the entire world, corruption perception, especially in public places, is very high. However, developing nations have highly visible corruption probably because of lax judicial systems and governance frameworks. It is relatively lower among the developed nations because of the more robust structures. Transparency International’s Perception Index rated Afghanistan 166th position out of 168 countries only exceeds by Somalia and North Korea. Nigeria took position 136 (Pellegrini, 26). As compared to Korea, China rated worse when it comes to the emerging economies in OECD.

Work Cited

Uslaner, Eric & Rothstein, Bo.The Historical Roots of Corruption: State Building, Economic Inequality, and Mass Education. Comparative Politics. 2016.

Tanzi, V. Corruption around the World: Causes, Consequences and Curses. IMF Working Paper. 1998.

Pellegrini, Lorenzo. Corruption, development and the environment. Place of publication not identified: Springer. 2011. Print.

Brioschi, Charles. Corruption: a short history. Washington, D.C: Brookings Institution Press. 2017 Print.