Is corruption a human condition, everywhere?

Source: SA Good News, 05/08/2015

The arrest of FIFA officials in the past week has brought discussions
on corruption to the fore again. For South Africans who are very
concerned with the corruption in our country, this offers an
opportunity to look at corruption in a global context. The fact of the
matter is that corruption has been prevalent throughout the ages in
all parts of the world. Even though some countries and institutions
have managed to curb corruption to a meaningful extent, the
unfortunate truth appears to be that corruption is a human condition.
We need to constantly and aggressively tackle corruption if we are to
make headway.
What causes corruption?

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines corruption as "dishonest or
illegal behaviour especially by powerful people (such as government
officials or police officers)". Robert Klitgaard, who is an expert on
corruption, came up with a corruption formula where corruption (C) =
monopoly (M) + discretion (D) – accountability (A).
The first term means that in a country or institution where the
leadership has a great deal of power, either because it is a
dictatorship (no elections being held) or where opposition is weak,
corruption is likely to be much greater than in a democratic or free
country or institution. The second term means that corruption is more
likely in a country or institution where there is limited transparency
of processes, where processes are not clearly defined and where there
is limited oversight. The third term means that in an environment
where corruption goes unpunished or where punishment is light,
corruption is much more likely to be prevalent.
What I take from this equation is that, especially in large
institutions controlling large amounts of money, corruption is the
most likely outcome, unless it is actively countered. Unfortunately,
history bears this out. There has been no civilisation, no group of
people, and no country that has been totally free from corruption,
even the most successful ones. From ancient Egypt, through the Greek
and Roman Empires, the Chinese civilisation and Europe in the middle
ages, corruption was a serious issue. Corruption has continued in the
developed world during the 20th and 21st centuries.
Today, the countries that score the lowest on Transparency
International`s Corruption Perception Index tend to be in the
developing world and are dictatorships (like North Korea), failed
states (like Somalia or arguably Sudan) or countries suffering from
conflict (Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya).
In 2014, SA ranked 67 out of 174 countries, scoring higher than
Brazil, Italy, India, Thailand, Mexico, Argentina and Iran.
However, there were a number of developing countries that attracted a
better score than SA, including Barbados, Chile, the UAE, Botswana,
Mauritius and Namibia.
How do successful countries counter corruption?
In 2014, the four countries that were considered the least corrupt
were Denmark, New Zealand, Finland and Sweden. These countries
typically have "high levels of press freedom, open budget processes
and strong accountability mechanisms".
With the exception of the UAE (and maybe Hong Kong), all of the top 25
countries in the Corruption Perception Index were democracies where
power changes hands between different political parties from time to time.
A key feature of scandals in the developed world over recent years,
whether it was Watergate, Elliot Spitzer, Rod Blagojevich, the Chen
Shui-ban Scandals or the Profumo Affair is that they typically lead to
resignations or arrests (although there are exceptions like Silvio
Berlusconi). In many developing countries though, corruption often
goes unchecked and unpunished for years.
The key differences between countries that are generally prone to
corruption and countries that are less prone to corruption are that
1. it is easier to identify corruption in certain countries because of
transparent and open processes;
2. there are more likely to be whistleblowers in countries less prone
to corruption;
3. the press is more likely to report on corruption;
4. the people are more likely to be outraged by corruption;
5. political parties (companies) are more likely to demand
resignations from or pursue prosecutions of perpetrators;
6. opposition parties are more likely to be strengthened by corruption
from the ruling party (potentially to the point where they can take
power); and
7. the political process allows for a peaceful transition of power.
Whata about South Africa?

In SA, many of the conditions above are in place for the country to
fall in the less corrupt group, but there are issues that are amiss.
It appears as if it is sometimes more difficult to identify and prove
corruption in SA, because there is sometimes a lack of transparency
and poorly defined processes. Especially when it comes to tender
processes in SA, there is a great deal that can be done to make it
more transparent. Rules around these processes should be more clearly
defined and aggressively policed, while the processes themselves
should be made public knowledge.
We have whistleblowers in SA, but very often these individuals are
vilified, which creates a serious disincentive in the fight against
corruption. The way in which the Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela has
been treated is a clear example of this.
We certainly have a free press in SA and there is a great deal of
reporting on corruption. Large parts of our population are also
outraged by corruption. However, outrage has not been sufficient to
put a meaningful dent in the support of our ruling party (considering
recent election results). This may well be because most people are on
balance happy with the delivery that Government provides to them
rather than them being oblivious to corruption issues. If so, there is
a meaningful risk to the ruling party that they will lose support
going forward unless issues are addressed. It would be interesting to
see polls surrounding Nkhandla, Eskom and President Zuma`s approval
rating and how these are changing over time.
In SA, there sometimes seems to be a resistance from the ruling party
to demand resignations and pursue prosecutions of the perpetrators of
corruption. Where these occur, they are often at a relatively low
level (e.g. Guptagate) or they are mired in controversy (NPA, Hawks,
Crime Intelligence, SAPS, SARS).
Opposition parties have been strengthened and are likely to be
strengthened in future if Government does not do enough to address the
concerns of the people surrounding corruption. However, it is not yet
clear whether this trend will be sufficient to jeopardise the ANC`s
majority support in major municipalities, provinces and nationally.
The municipal elections of 2016 could give us a strong indication of
this trend.
Finally, we have evidence that our political process would allow for a
peaceful transition of power. We have seen a peaceful transition of
power from the National Party to the ANC in 1994, we saw the peaceful
departure of President Mbeki in 2008 and we saw a peaceful transition
of power in the Western Cape in 2009. There are concerns though that
further transitions may be more difficult. Time will tell.
Conclusion
Corruption unfortunately appears to be a human condition. It has
occurred and occurs everywhere regardless of country, creed or
institution unless the necessary steps and processes are in place to
counter it. It is not sufficient to simply depend on the good ethics
and morals of our leaders. To counter corruption globally and in SA,
we need to demand transparency, create a conducive environment for
whistle blowing, ensure freedom of the press, be outraged by
infractions, prosecute offenders, remove support for parties that
condone such behaviour and maintain a free democratic process.
Many of these processes are in place in SA, but there are warning
signs and we need to be vigilant. Continue to ask the difficult
questions, be brave enough to speak out, demand accountability and
withdraw support if positive steps are not taken.


Do you agree that corruption is a human condition? Do you concede that
SA is better positioned than many other countries? Do you think that
things will get better in SA? What are you doing to reduce corruption?
I would love to see your feedback.
In the mean time, keep your talking straight!