According to researchers from one American university, more than four hundred billion dollars was stolen from Nigerian coffers by corrupt government officials and spirited overseas. This took place between 1960 and 1999. Another set of scientists estimate that in the period between 1970 to 1996, almost two hundred billion dollars was irregularly acquired in thirty African countries. This political corruption is said to be one reason why Africa lags behind other regions of the world in economic development.
The practice leads to bad governance in both private and public spheres. Where elections are held regularly, they become a sham, the only guarantee being that kleptocrats will get or keep power. Institutions that are supposed to curb illegal practices become compromised and are unable or unwilling to do their job. Those who choose to look too closely are eliminated, fired or forced to flee to other countries for their safety.
Private business is also affected by the culture of bribery. Those that refuse to give kickbacks do not get lucrative government contracts. Those that choose to walk that road have to offer their services or sell their goods at unjustifiably high prices, as they have to recover whatever money they gave out. There is no motivation for them to offer anything of high quality, as authorities will not follow up on any infractions.
It is the norm in countries where bribery is prevalent for rules to be broken with abandon. These include laws meant to protect the environment, where these have already been enacted; if they have not, there is no guarantee they will ever be made, or passed. Statutory bodies entrusted with the responsibility of enforcing such laws are compromised and cannot execute their mandate effectively. Simply put, bribery facilitates environmental destruction.
This practice can lead to a variety of negative social effects. For instance, since labor rights are not enforced, workers regularly resort to strikes, as there may be no other way of making themselves heard. These may be put down violently. A variety of researchers have arrived at the conclusion that government ineptness may create famines, or make them worse. For example, it is not uncommon for strategic food reserves to be sold off corruptly, so that when rains fail, the resulting famine is worse than it would have been.
This practice comes in several forms. Patronage is one of these, and refers to the practice of favoring supporters. It is common in many countries to reward political allies with jobs, contracts, and other favors. This can create distortions where less qualified individuals or less capable organizations get deals or positions they shouldn't.
Cronyism refers to the practice of favoring friends for certain jobs or contracts. Many people may not know this, but old boys clubs fall into this category. They tend to favor one of their own, and exclude others for job positions among other things. They are particularly notorious for locking out women and minorities.
Influence peddling refers to the practice of seeking or taking money or other favors in order to ensure that decisions are made in the bribe givers favor. For instance, members of a committee scrutinizing tender documents may take cash in order to ensure that contracts are won by a certain individual or organization. These are some of the ways in which political corruption is classified.
The practice leads to bad governance in both private and public spheres. Where elections are held regularly, they become a sham, the only guarantee being that kleptocrats will get or keep power. Institutions that are supposed to curb illegal practices become compromised and are unable or unwilling to do their job. Those who choose to look too closely are eliminated, fired or forced to flee to other countries for their safety.
Private business is also affected by the culture of bribery. Those that refuse to give kickbacks do not get lucrative government contracts. Those that choose to walk that road have to offer their services or sell their goods at unjustifiably high prices, as they have to recover whatever money they gave out. There is no motivation for them to offer anything of high quality, as authorities will not follow up on any infractions.
It is the norm in countries where bribery is prevalent for rules to be broken with abandon. These include laws meant to protect the environment, where these have already been enacted; if they have not, there is no guarantee they will ever be made, or passed. Statutory bodies entrusted with the responsibility of enforcing such laws are compromised and cannot execute their mandate effectively. Simply put, bribery facilitates environmental destruction.
This practice can lead to a variety of negative social effects. For instance, since labor rights are not enforced, workers regularly resort to strikes, as there may be no other way of making themselves heard. These may be put down violently. A variety of researchers have arrived at the conclusion that government ineptness may create famines, or make them worse. For example, it is not uncommon for strategic food reserves to be sold off corruptly, so that when rains fail, the resulting famine is worse than it would have been.
This practice comes in several forms. Patronage is one of these, and refers to the practice of favoring supporters. It is common in many countries to reward political allies with jobs, contracts, and other favors. This can create distortions where less qualified individuals or less capable organizations get deals or positions they shouldn't.
Cronyism refers to the practice of favoring friends for certain jobs or contracts. Many people may not know this, but old boys clubs fall into this category. They tend to favor one of their own, and exclude others for job positions among other things. They are particularly notorious for locking out women and minorities.
Influence peddling refers to the practice of seeking or taking money or other favors in order to ensure that decisions are made in the bribe givers favor. For instance, members of a committee scrutinizing tender documents may take cash in order to ensure that contracts are won by a certain individual or organization. These are some of the ways in which political corruption is classified.
About the Author:
Read more about Types And Consequences Of Political Corruption visiting our website.
0 comments:
Post a Comment