Preview

Corruption

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1709 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Corruption
Etymology

The word corrupt (Middle English, from Latin corruptus, past participle of corrumpere, to abuse or destroy : com-, intensive pref. and rumpere, to break) when used as an adjective literally means "utterly broken".[1]
[edit]Different Scales

Corruption can occur on many different scales. There is corruption that occurs as small favours between a small number of people (petty corruption), while there is the corruption that affects the government on a large scale (grand corruption), and corruption that is so prevalent that it is part of the every day structure of society (systemic corruption).
[edit]Petty
"Petty" corruption occurs at a smaller scale and occurs within established social frameworks and governing norms. Examples include the exchange of small improper gifts or use of personal connections to obtain favors. This form of corruption is particularly common in developing countries and where public servants are significantly underpaid.
[edit]Grand
Main article: Political corruption
"Grand" corruption is defined as corruption occurring at the highest levels of government in a way that requires significant subversion of the political, legal and economic systems. Such corruption is commonly found in countries with authoritarian or dictatorial governments and in those without adequate policing of corruption by anti-corruption agencies.
The government system in many countries is divided into the Legislative, Executive and Judiciary branches in an attempt to provide independent services that are less prone to corruption due to their independence.
[edit]Systemic
Systemic corruption (or endemic corruption[2]) is corruption which is primarily due to the weaknesses of an organization or process. It can be contrasted with individual officials or agents who act corruptly within the system.
Factors which encourage systemic corruption include conflicting incentives, discretionary powers; monopolistic powers; lack of transparency; low pay; and a

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Corruption itself is not something unknown to the world, and it never was. As the years have progressed, the categories of corruption…

    • 825 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Corruption is something that is motivated by greed and fraud. It's a very threatening personality that controls and destroys people's lives and makes them the kind of person other people don't want to associate with.…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Corruption can be defined as "an act in which a person uses his position to gain some personal advantage at the expense of the organization he represents." (??) Corruption schemes fall into four categories, bribery, illegal gratuities, economic extortion and conflicts of interest. These can include kickback schemes, diverting business to specific vendors, overbilling to name a few. These are usually perpetrated by managers or owner/executives. These types of cases entail authorization to approve or to assist in the…

    • 722 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to Wikipedia.com, political corruption is the misuse of public office for private gain. All forms of government are susceptible in practice…

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    According to Black law dictionary [1] corruption means the act of doing something with an intent to give some advantage inconsistent with official duty and the rights of others…

    • 1567 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Frequently when individuals receive great power they tend to act on their own personal immoral needs, and abandon individuals they serve for. Nowadays corruption has been ingrained deeply within society. Corruption is a cancerous agent that once introduced, no matter the medicine or treatment given, it will spread and until it takes a firm hold.…

    • 144 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The definition of corruption describes it concretely as unscrupulous actions by those in positions of power. It is common for the powerful to be immediately blamed when corruption occurs both in a public or personal setting. History books continue to predominantly mark instances of fraudulence at the hands of powerful figures, making the aforementioned definition commonplace. However, it is not power that is always the root of corruption; in fact, powerlessness carries the potential to contribute equally. While power and powerlessness are both individual institutions, the presence of one feeds off of the other in turn producing a tandem effort towards corruption.…

    • 597 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Public Corruption Aimee

    • 836 Words
    • 4 Pages

    “Corruption is a Western concept and is not applicable to traditional societies, where corruption does not have such a negative meaning. Many traditional societies with a “gift culture” have a different understanding of civil responsibilities and etiquette. The social structure and political traditions of many countries are based on the beneficial exchange of rewards for services rendered, and cannot survive in its absence.” (source: idebate.org) The way I viewed corruption prior to writing this essay was that corruption was not my problem and avoiding the topic makes it go away. I couldn’t be more wrong in believing that if I don’t cause any problems then why I should worry about it. Following different varieties of corruption over the years in general, I find that the older I get the worse it gets. How can I be blind to the problem and believe that I can’t do anything. The definition of corruption more specifically I found in the research is, “Corruption is the abuse of power by a public official for private gain. The causes and effects of corruption, and how to combat corruption, are issues that are increasingly on the national and international agendas…

    • 836 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Political corruption is the abuse of public power, office, or resources by elected government officials for personal gain, e.g. by extortion, soliciting or offering bribes[2] It can also take the form of office holders maintaining themselves in office by purchasing votes by enacting laws which use taxpayer money.[3] Systemic corruption, the complete subversion of a political or economic system. Governmental corruption of judiciary is broadly known in many transitional and developing countries because the budget is almost completely controlled by the executive. The latter undermines the separation of powers, as it creates a critical financial dependence of the judiciary. The proper national wealth distribution including the government spending on the judiciary is subject of the constitutional economics. It is important to distinguish between the two methods of corruption of the judiciary: the government (through budget planning and various privileges), and the private.[4]…

    • 1775 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Correption

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The causes of corruption are many and complex. Following are some of the causes of corruption.…

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Ethic based management

    • 1395 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Hierarchic/Anarchical Corruption – relating to bribery which must be compulsorily paid to get work, devoid of prudent financial management considerations, accomplished/executed with the blessing of the political party in…

    • 1395 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Cause Of Corruption

    • 2059 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Governance problems can be more or less serious, and can vary from one part of…

    • 2059 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Corruption is defined as the use of public office for private gain, or in other words, use of official position, rank or status by an office bearer for his own personal benefit. Following from this definition, examples of corrupt behaviour would include: (a) bribery, (b) extortion, (c) fraud, (d) embezzlement, (e) nepotism, (f) cronyism, (g) appropriation of public assets and property for private use, and (h) influence peddling.…

    • 3261 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Polythene Pollution

    • 298 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The activities that constitute illegal corruption differ depending on the country or jurisdiction. For instance, some political funding practices that are legal in one place may be illegal in another. In some cases, government officials have broad or ill-defined powers, which make it difficult to distinguish between legal and illegal actions. Worldwide, bribery alone is estimated to involve over 1 trillion US dollars annually.[1] A state of unrestrained political corruption is known as a kleptocracy, literally meaning "rule by thieves".…

    • 298 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Best Essays

    Generally Corruption could be the promotion of private gains or selfish interest at the expense of public interest, against the overall objectives of the government, by whoever in charge and responsible within the area of work (Mafunisa, 2008:11).While Dobel in (Mafunisa, 2008:11) asserts that from an organizational point of view, corruption is essentially specific cultural attitudes regarding loyalty, morality and usurpation of public goods.…

    • 2433 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Best Essays