Corruption in Bangladesh (Research Paper Sample)

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Introduction to Corruption
Corruption refers to the misuse of delegated power by the entrusted individual in a given position personal gains. It includes several activities like bribery, legal practices, and embezzlement among others. Corruption is classified into political, grand and petty corruption about the amount of cash lost as well as the place of occurrence. For grand corruption, high-level government acts are committed hence distorting policies as well as the core state functioning whereby leaders can benefit the public suffer. In petty corruption, low- and mid-level public officials are involved in daily entrusted power abuse in their various interactions with citizens in the course of accessing basic needs. These can be serviced in hospitals, police stations, and schools among other areas. Political corruption, on the other hand, involves manipulation of rules, policies and institutions in resource allocation and bribery by political decision makers for wealth, status and power sustenance (Rahman et al., 2000).
In Bangladesh, corruption is prevalent and saturates all societal levels hence the weak rule of law as well as a lack of transparency in many integrity structures and institutions. This can be attested by the poor performance of the country most governance-indicator assessed areas. The judiciary, political parties, the police and public administration are apparently the country’s most corrupt institutions. By ranking, Bangladesh is 120/183 countries with a 2.7 score on a 0-highly corrupt to 10-purely clean scale of the assessed territories. Similarly, it is the 22nd out of 35 most corrupt countries in the region. In another research, the Worldwide Governance Indicators (World Bank) rank Bangladesh country under the lowest quarter percentile with a 16.1 score on a 0 to 100 score of corruption control. The rule of law score remains weak even after a slight improvement from 19.6 to 28.6 between the year 1998 and 2011(Gebel, 2012; Bertelsmann Foundation, 2012).
Bangladesh citizens also have perceived corruption as their country’s continually increasing problem. Half of the respondents in this research considered that corruption has increased in the past three years. In total, those who believed that corruption has increased plus those who think it has remained the same totals up to sixty-four percent with seventy-two percent attesting to have witnessed corruption. Business executives (16.7% respondents) also grade corruption the second obstacle in business amongst significant problems after inadequate infrastructure supply. A high number of respondents fall prey of one or more corruption forms in the primary accountability institutions as well as the rule of law with the justice sector having 88 % and the police 76% of law enforcement agencies (Bertelsmann Foundation, 2012).
Impact of governmental corruption in Bangladesh
Social growth impact: There is limited social protection in the country and if present only concerns a small portion of the society from the business sector and the government. The government backs social safety net programs to eliminate poverty although financial allocation is very minimal making less 1% of the gross domestic product. As one of the poorest countries in the world, corruption stifles critically the effectiveness of programs aimed at poverty alleviation. Evaluation of the county’s safety disposable programs as the Old Age Allowance indicates that they have been negatively affected through inefficiencies, inappropriate targeting, malpractices, resource leakages, power abuse as well as implementation and management corruption. There is unclear recipients’ selection that is among crucial issues as this is used to influence political decisions and gains ((Rahman et al., 2000).
Social organizations spread social corruption and mistrust between members of the family is evident. Varied different anti-social corruption activities educational institutions have led to hampering of the social fraternity as social organizations’ corruption is increasingly becoming corrupt. Religions are sometimes easily misused due to large numbers saints, mosques, religious scholars and temples. These facilitate unlawful activities under religious cover same as anti-social corruption as people use religion for persona as well as party gains. These involve activities like asking for cash to pray for jobs and freedom from danger. Eight percent of those who were registered for a belief did so after bribery while seventeen percent of the enlisted had the close connection to the chairman yet majority did not receive relief goods registered for or they received less (Bertelsmann Foundation, 2012).
Educational growth impact: In Bangladesh, student politics is reactive, violent and confrontational with student organizations acting as political parties’ armament. This results in frequent educational institutions commotions, clashes as well as factional where many are killed and causing unrest within the learning centers. Most universities are forced to for long unexpected closures leading to incomplete syllabuses, bad results and jams in sessions. Campuses are dominated by ruling party student wings hence facilitation of residential hall crimes and violence as a way to enjoy unauthorized resources. Residential halls are controlled via management of seats to favor students who are loyal to the parties who eat and buy for free from nearby shops. Student leaders earn illegally by grabbing and extorting tenders, taking cash from freshmen and pressure lecturers to accept them (Rahman et al., 2000).
The student leaders also take bribes from those who are seeking jobs in the institutions pressurizing the authorities to accept them. These is reflected in results of a survey done and indicates that nine percent of the students were encountered by irregularities as they were seeking university admissions. An overall 65.3% unauthorized payments in the form of donations are given to the students who experience irregularities. In urban areas residents, students paid unauthorized residential fees more than they could have done in the rural locations. Among the 25.1 percent of the students who received parity sub-scholarships, 22.0 percent were harassed which was 25.1% at the primary level and 21.1 % at the secondary level. These corruption activities have greatly affected the quality and integrity of education standards in the country leading to the poor quality workforce and little productivity (Bertelsmann Foundation, 2012).
Political growth impact: National politics in Bangladesh purposely seem to be based on pure personal gains since much money is invested by politicians to win general elections. They then target to manage governmental operation management during rein to compensate the expenditure they incurred. Most Bangladeshi politicians have pensioned off officeholders, businessmen as well as military officials. For instance, businessmen would engage in politics to manipulate their territory in business be favored by their political parties in the country. On the other hand, politicians will start the business when they see the favorable condition.
Political agenda for politicians are always put at the front then national agenda. Sometimes, national agenda do not matter in decision making where cabinet members use lengthy substantial time in party politics, private businesses as well as negotiate with campaigners. National resources are used for individual and party interests at the expense of democracy. These political parties are further led by hereditary pedigree whereby every major party in the country elects a party chairman coming from the founder family members of the previous party leader. This can be the son, wife or daughter. Accountability and legislative institutions like the court system, anti-corruption commission, public universities, election commission, the human rights commission, as well as state media regulation, is under the control of the leading political party. Heads of these institutions are dismissed by the ruling party, followed by the immediate appointment of the own immediately the assume power (Bertelsmann Foundation, 2012).
Parliamentary members interfere with and influence public administration, the local government, law implementation organizations as well as law and order matters. Handling public money meant for development projects like roads construction and maintenance and rehabilitation is one of the controversial legislature topics. The legislatures also influence and seize government tenders allocating the tenders to themselves or their loyal people hence quoting costs higher than normal. This is stealing from the people and misappropriation of funds meant for development projects in Bangladesh (Rahman et al., 2000).
Economic growth impact: Generation of substantial inefficiency and distortions are evident of corruption that undermines economic development in Bangladesh. Corruption raised the cost of business in the private sector via illicit payment prices, officials, cost management negotiation and breached agreements risks. A...