Corruption ( Sociology Optional)

Introduction

  • Corruption at all levels of all societies is a behavioural consequence of power and greed.
  • With no rulebook, corruption is covert, opportunistic, repetitive and powerful, reliant upon dominance, fear and unspoken codes: a significant component of the ‘quiet violence’.
  • As per transparency international corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain.
  • The Anti-Corruption Act, 2003 defines “corrupt practice as any conduct contemplated in Chapter 4oftheAct which Chapter deals with offences.
  • Corruption erodes trust, weakens democracy, hampers economic development and further exacerbates inequality, poverty, social division and the environmental crisis.
  • Corruption can happen anywhere, involve anyone, happens in the shadows and adapts to different contexts and changing circumstances.

Corruption and politics

  • In the definition shared by most political scientists, political corruption is any transaction between private and public sector actors through which collective goods are illegitimately converted into private-regarding payoffs.
  • Political corruption is the abuse of public power, office, or resources by elected government officials for personal gain, by extortion, soliciting or offering bribes. It can also take the form of office holders maintaining themselves in office by purchasing votes by enacting laws which use taxpayers' money.
  • The causes of corruption in India include excessive regulations, complicated tax and licensing systems, numerous government departments with opaque bureaucracy and discretionary powers, monopoly of government controlled institutions on certain goods and services delivery, and the lack of transparent laws and processes.

Causes

As Per R. Klitgaard corruption will occur if the corrupt gain is greater than the penalty multiplied by the likelihood of being caught and prosecuted.

According to a 2017 survey study, the following factors have been attributed as causes of corruption:

  • Greed of money, desires.
  • Higher levels of market and political monopolization
  • Low levels of democracy, weak civil participation and low political transparency
  • Higher levels of bureaucracy and inefficient administrative structures
  • Low press freedom
  • Low economic freedom
  • Large ethnic divisions and high levels of in-group favoritism
  • Gender inequality
  • Poverty
  • Political instability
  • Weak property rights
  • Contagion from corrupt neighboring countries
  • Low levels of education
  • Lack of commitment to society
  • Extravagant family
  • Unemployment
  • Lack of proper policies against corruption

Consequences

Economic

  • Some researchers (and many practitioners) have argued that corruption may be a good thing because it can smooth rigid bureaucratic systems and help get things done, and enable private entrepreneurship and promote businesses.
  • However in negative terms It has retarded economic development of the country and has increased black money in the country.

Political

  • Corruption in elections and in the legislature reduces accountability and distorts representation in policymaking; corruption in the judiciary compromises the rule of law; and corruption in public administration results in increased inefficiency, nepotism, and lethargy and has created indiscipline in all fields of administration.

Social and Cultural

  • It has resulted in the deterioration of morals and destroyed the individual character.
  • It has created violence and lawlessness in the society since the corrupt have the money power to influence the executor of law to serve him.
  • It has led to adulteration of eatables, spurious drugs and shortage of many consumer items.
  • It creates an environment of increasing disparities and give rise to poverty and other related issues.

Socio-cultural perspective

  • Corruption in various forms is reflected across the whole society, it affects the political representation, the general government as well as cultural and sporting life.
  • A corrupt behaviour is aimed at obtaining certain privilege for the person himself/herself, his/her family, relatives or friends at the detriment of the rest of the society.
  • From sociological view, corruption can be characterized as a social relationship of at least two entities cooperating upon exchange of goods.
  • Most frequently, reason for corruption is financial benefit, although it can also be other material or immaterial benefit, such as political capital or other privileges or services.
  • A bribe does not need to be explicitly solicited, occurrence thereof may be conditioned by a predicative corrupt practice in the existing climate of corruption in the society.

Remedial measures

  • End impunity: Effective law enforcement.
  • Reform public administration and finance management: disclosure of budget information strengthening the role of auditing agencies.
  • Promote transparency and access to information: tradition of government openness, freedom of the press, transparency and access to information.
  • Empower citizens: community monitoring initiatives have in some cases contributed to the detection of corruption, reduced leakages of funds, and improved the quantity and quality of public services.
  • Close international loopholes: Major financial centres urgently need to put in place ways to stop their banks and cooperating offshore financial centres from absorbing illicit flows of money.

Policies and laws

  • Government of India, in pursuance of its commitment to “Zero Tolerance Against Corruption” has taken several measures to combat corruption which include:
  • Systemic improvements and reforms to provide transparent citizen-friendly services and reduce corruption. Ex: e-NAM, Direct benefit transfer etc.
  • The All India Services (Disciplinary and Appeal) Rules and Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules have been amended to provide for specific timelines in the procedure related to disciplinary proceedings.
  • The Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 has been amended on 26.07.2018. It clearly criminalizes the act of giving bribe and will help check big ticket corruption by creating a vicarious liability in respect of senior management of commercial organizations.
  • Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), through various orders and circulars recommended adoption of Integrity Pact to all the organizations in major procurement activities and to ensure effective and expeditious investigation wherever any irregularity / misconduct is noticed.
  • The institution of Lokpal has been operationalised by appointment of Chairperson and Members. Lokpal is statutorily mandated to directly receive and process complaints as regards alleged offences against public servants under the Prevention of Corruption Act,1988.

Conclusion

  • Corruption is not only a financial issue; corruption creates social systems compliant to its practices and influences entire societies and the social relationships they contain.
  • Thus, Governments should regularly come together to revisit the effectiveness of the current laws to fight corruption and also to seek new ideas in preventing corruption.