Aspects on Sustainability: Corruption

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Aspects on Sustainability Corruption

• Ass. Professor Tanja Põlajeva
• Tallinn University of Technology
• BUP Teachers Conference
• University Education for Sustainable Development
  in the Baltic Sea Region
• 13-16 March, Gdansk, Poland

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Corruption is a term carrying many different and
complex interpretations

• Drived from the Latin corruptio meaning
  depravity, bribery
• Morally depraved, wicked influenced by or using
  bribery (The Oxford Reference Dictionary 1986)
  means depraved condition

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Corruption is a term carrying many different and
complex interpretations

• The abandonment of expected standards of behavior
  by those in authority for the sake of
  unsanctioned personal advantage (Collins
  Dictionary of Sociology 1995)
• The abuse of public resources for private gain
  (Encyclopedia of Democracy 1995)

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The central attribute of corruption is a
secretive understanding between two participating
parties

• One (the corruptee) agrees to commit an act of
  abuse for a specified compensation
• The other (corruptor) stands to gain benefits at
  the expense of other individuals and entities.

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An important element of corruption is its ability
to spread fast and unchecked.Corruption is often
likened to a cancer that systematically destroys
healthy tissues, symbolizing a specified aspect
of social life.Corruption takes many forms and
is a universal cancer ( Dr. P. Eigen, Chairman of
Transparency International )
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Corruption assumes two aspects

• Active corruption is perpetrated by persons who
  sidestep legal (moral, regulatory, customary)
  procedures in pursuit of specific benefits (such
  as resources or position) at the expense of
  others
• Passive corruption is the acceptance of bribe

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Corruption may assume various forms

• Bribery, a situation in which payment for a favor
  takes the form of a material benefits (money,
  gifts, services)
• Embezzlement of state assets
• Diversion or reallocation of public funds

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Corruption may assume various forms

• Granting public posts, which is of mutual benefit
  to both parties
• Intermediation between the state and the private
  sector

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Corruption may be represented as a formula C
(corruption) M (monopoly) D (discretion) A
(accountability)

• Corruption takes place when an organization or
  person has monopoly power over a good or service,
• Has the discretion to decide who will receive it
• How much that person will get
• It is not accountable
• (Klitgaard, 1998)

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In general, the phenomenon may be regarded as
corruption if it corresponds the following
conditions.The next slide shows the table
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It is also important to distinguish bribes from
gifts

• At what point does a gift become a bribe?
• What about the cultural differences?
• Can the cultural differences explain the size of
  gifts?
• How to estimate, if the gift is given to the
  relative?
• When the gift was given either privately or in
  public?

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Why so much attention is being focused on
corruption?Is it because of the fact that
nowadays there is more corruption than in the
past?Is it because of the fact that previously
this phenomenon was somehow ignored?
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Centrally planned economies experienced a great
deal of corrupt practices(they were ignored or
not widely reported at that time).The process
of globalization has brought individuals from
countries with little corruption with those where
corruption is widespred.
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Result these contacts have increased the
international attention to corruption
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Corruption Is Continuously Monitored
byTransparency International (TI), Established
in 1993, as a Global Coalition for Combating
Corruption.TI maintains National Offices in 77
countries.From 1995, introduces Corruption
Perception Index (CPI)CPI constitutes a ranking
of countries in terms of the perception of
corruption by public sector officials and
politicians.
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In 2001, TI has launched a comprehensive study
of forms of bribery (active corruption). Result
the Bribe Payers Index (BPI) to supplement the
CPI.During last year, in addition TI has begun
preparing a Global Corruption Report
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The UN Convention against Corruption

• Adopted in Mexico, 2003 December
• The first global instrument embracing a
  comprehensive range of anti-corruption measures
  at the national level.
• It will enhance international cooperation on
  corruption prevention and enforcement
• Must be ratified by 30 member states before it
  enters into force (estimates the end of 2005)

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The Corruption Perception Index (CPI) should
remind everyone that the fight against
corruption dare not be relaxed

• Perception of levels of corruption do not change
  greatly from one year to next
• Positive results are only going to emerge from
  tireless and consistent multi-year efforts
• Nevertheless, the conditions that could promote
  more transparent practices are themselves changing

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CPI is a composite index

• 17 surveys from 13 independent institutions
• Gathered the opinions of business people and
  country analysts
• Absence of reliable data, only 146 of the worlds
  countries are included

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CPI is a composite index

• The scores range from 10 (squeaky clean) to 0
  (highly corrupt)
• A score 5.0 is the number TI considers the
  borderline figure distinguishing countries that
  do and do not have serious corruption problem

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The Corruption Perception Index for the BUP
countries as of 2004
Source The 2004 Transparency International
Corruption Perceptions Index
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Among the countries presented in Tab1. Czech
Republic has improved the position and Poland has
a worse rating since last years.
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• Corruption in a large-scale public projects is a
  daunting obstacle to sustainable development, and
  results in a major loss of public funds needed
  for education, healthcare and poverty
  alleviation, both in developed and developing
  countries (Peter Eigen, Transparency
  International Chairman, London 20th of October
  2004)

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Corruption in the education sector is damaging a
countrys social, economic and political future

• Foundations of society are shaken if it comes to
  believe that personal effort and merit do not
  count and that success comes through
  manipulation, favoritism and bribery
• Without access to education (or low-quality
  education) gives little chance to escape a life
  of poverty

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• Corruption is incompatible with one of the major
  goals of education produce citizens that respect
  human rights and the law
• Corruption threatens equal access, quantity and
  quality of education

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Corruption has been present throughout the rule
of all the public orders both in autocracy and
in democracy

• The bigger the possibility of corrupt behavior,
  the bigger the number of public goods controlled
  by the public officials
• Can also grow bigger when the laws are vague or
  constantly subject to change
• When public funds are improperly managed

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Result

• The level of corruption is lower in the countries
  where are old traditions of the rule of law and
  democracy and long-term statehood

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Combating Corruption Role of Education

• One perspective is to fight corruption which
  exists in education
• Another perspective is to use education as tool
  to fight corruption
• These two perspectives are interrelated

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What can be done to fight corruption in education?

• Increase awareness
• governments should work on increasing
  accountability in educational systems and within
  the civil service generally
• The civil service needs clear career-development
  rules with simple and clear lines of
  responsibility

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• Improve working conditions
• Teachers and civil servants must be adequately
  paid
• Strengthen transparency and monitoring
• Access to information