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Suliko Arjevanidze,
ENG 113 Written Composition
Cause and Effect essay final draft
December 12, 2021

What are the causes of corruption and how exactly does it affect countries’ development?

As stated by J. Biden (2014, para. 18), “corruption is a cancer: a cancer that eats away at

a citizen’s faith in democracy, diminishes the instinct for innovation and creativity.” Corruption

is an unlawful act of a person or an institute in authority, where power is misused for one’s

personal profit. And, according to J. Biden, it affects some aspects of development. But, what are

the grounds of bribery and in what ways does it influence states’ development? Greed for money,

low press freedom and poverty are a few of the key factors that often lead to corruption and

bribery, that, in turn, undermine countries’ development by hindering sustainable development

goals, causing economic loss and inefficiency, and promoting impunity and partial justice.

Speaking of the grounds of corruption, acquisitiveness is the very first factor worth

emphasizing. Provided that political leaders or people in power have craving for money,

surpassing their efficiency at work, they are most likely to accept bribes. Governments, business

companies and other institutions must ensure that their employees are paid adequately.

Otherwise, when people in certain working positions are not rewarded with a sufficient amount

for their work, they are tempted to take bribes. Police in Myanmar, one of the most corrupted

police force in the world, can be used as one of the best illustrations of how low-wage income

can lead to bribery. According to SalaryExplorer (2021), standard monthly salary of a police

officer in Myanmar is 338,000 MMK, which is equal to 118.48 USD per month. Insufficient

income has led to police officers thinking of other ways to earn money, causing inefficiency of

the police, failure of the institute, and ultimately, delaying country’s development.

The second factor fostering bribery is lack of press independence. As there is no

government that would be willing to openly discuss issues on corruption in its country, media

becomes the key to identifying and exposing corruption. With a power to uncover, inform and

educate on bribery, media can also initiate judicial, political and disciplinary actions about

specific criminal cases, which significantly decreases the risk of corruption. Therefore, when

there is low press freedom, corruption becomes practically uncontrollable. For example, Institute

for Development of Freedom of Information has published research (2019) about the risks of

corruption in the National Wrestling Federation in Georgia. By means of this article, the media

has brought an issue to public’s attention, which has or might have prevented unlawful activities

within a particular institute.

Avarice and cupidity of people in power, in addition to low press freedom, prompt

corruption in a country, which has a negative effect on its social and economic development.

Since corruption has a noteworthy impact on investment, taxation and public expenditures, its

influence may as well reach a state’s economy, which causes significant downturns. In a

corrupted economic environment, tenders tend to be unlawful, which results in an unjust

allocation of resources. The financial resources issued by governments are often considered as a

collective property of the country’s citizens, including poor population. Pope Francis (2014) said

that “corruption is paid by the poor”. Thus, it is obvious how corruption not only harms economy

but also aggravates poverty.

Another way bribery affects economy is that bilateral and other kinds of financial aid,

issued by the UN or other global organizations to invest in economic growth, are less likely to be

given to corrupted states and/or governments. Since ruling parties and government branches are

not trusted, it is more difficult for the international peace-building and development-craving

organizations to deliver people who are in need necessary services promoting their well-being.

Of course, corruption cannot prevent powerful institutions, like the UN, for instance, from

contributing to individual’s welfare. However, it does require extra effort from donors, like

creating separate police institute in Myanmar, for instance.

One of the notable effects of corruption worth pointing out is the restraint of sustainable

development goals, set by the United Nations organizations in order to promote all-inclusive

well-being of humans. By increasing poverty, as argued above, promoting inequality, hindering

competition, thus, innovation, and economic growth, corruption contradicts and comes into

conflict with sustainable development plans.

In case of corruption in the branches of government, jurisdictional authorities are more

likely to be partial, eventually establishing unfair and unjust environment for the citizens. One of

the instances where a political leader had shown a sense of invulnerability causing doubts about

even-handedness of court is the fact that current prime minister of Georgia, Irakli Garibashvili,

owns eight expensive watches without having corresponding declarations. According to the law,

officials must have a declaration providing information on the date, form and amount of the

payment for the purchase of movable property owned by them or their family members.

One more example of injustice caused by corruption and pressure from certain authorities

has been showed at Tbilisi Pride 2021 event. During the pride, members and representatives of

Georgian Orthodox Church made statements inciting riots and violence. However, none of them

were put on trial for their actions. Ordinary citizens have been fined, but this was not enough for

their wrongdoings, such as beating, physically and orally harassing activists and even killing one

of the journalist at the event. This can be explained by the influence of Georgian Orthodox

Church on the governing party.

To sum up, bribery, that is often due to uncontrollable desire for money and wealth, as

well as lack of media independence, causes notable economic downturns and inefficiency,

creates partial judicial environment for citizens, and undermines Sustainable Development

Goals. All this, ultimately, hinders a state’s development.



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References

IDFI. (2019). Possible Risks of Corruption in National Wrestling Federation of Georgia. Idfi.Ge.

https://idfi.ge/ge/

idfi_published_a_study_on_possible_risks_of_corruption_in_national_wrestling_federati

on_of_georgia

Pope's Mass: Corruption is paid by the poor. YouTube. (2014). https://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=Ctb59idBOYQ

Police Officer Average Salary in Myanmar 2021 - The Complete Guide. Salaryexplorer.com.

(2021). https://www.salaryexplorer.com/salary-survey.php?

loc=148&loctype=1&job=504&jobtype=3.

Remarks by vice President Joe Biden to Romanian Civil Society Groups and Students. White

House. (2014). https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/05/21/

remarks-vice-president-joe-biden-romanian-civil-society-groups-and-stude