Political Corruption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Political Corruption - Essay Example But it is more often assumed than tested and proven. And on the politics political scandal is a black spot which restrain the flow of development and create a haphazard situation on the society breaking the peace and harmony. Corruption is a disease, a cancer that eats into the cultural, political and economic fabric of society, and destroys the functioning of vital organs. In the words of Transparency International, "Corruption is one of the greatest challenges of the contemporary world. It undermines good government, fundamentally distorts policy, leads to the misallocation of resources, harms the private sector and private sector development and particularly hurts the poor" (TI,1998). Corruption is found almost everywhere, but it is stubbornly entrenched in the poor countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, it is widespread in Latin America, it is deep-rooted many of the newly industrialized countries, and it is reaching alarming proportions in several of the post-communist countries. The issue of corruption has to some extent entered the political and economic sciences from the new interest in the role of the state in the developing world, and in particular from the idea that the state is an indispensable instrument for economic development. The 1997 World Development Report stated that An effective state is vital for the provision of... An effective state is vital for the provision of the goods and services - and the rules and institutions - that allow markets to flourish and people to lead healthier, happier lives. Without it, sustainable development, both economic and social is impossible (The World Bank 1997). Political corruption not only leads to the misallocation of resources, but it also affects the manner in which decisions are made. As political corruption is the operation of illegal procedure of the various offices, it affects the institutions of the government as well as the political system and political ideology. Political corruption is more than a divergence from formal legal form of justice. It occurs when misdeeds and wrong doings take place in the proceedings and the ideology of the politics of a country. Some definitions of corruption also emphasize the point that the rulers as a group or class, or as an institution or organization, make unjustified use of their influence to extract resources for the benefit of the group as such. Many well-known and well documented cases of grand corruption have involved political parties (ruling parties in particular, but also prospective ruling parties), entire administrative bureaus, and national governments. 3. Scandal Etymologically Scandal means a behavior or an event that people think it morally or legally wrong and causes public feelings of shock or anger. It may be an action, work or event of a particular person and that work is regarded in the society as a wrong doing or it is seen from a negative angle. There is divergence of scandals and different philosophies exist regarding this matter. A scandal is a widely publicized occurrence involving allegations of bad behavior, dishonor, or moral infuriate. A scandal may be based on