Corruption is the act of misusing power by different individuals, for instance, politicians and civil servants with the intention of private gains (Mitchel 1996). Corruption involves bribery by use of money, sexual favours, or any valuable resources to enable the perpetrators acquire what they want. It is very difficult to wipe out corruption in many societies as it is a widespread activity, in which it ranges from direct bribery, nepotism, tribalism, and racism. This research paper will deal corruption and bribery, why the two are endemic and unavoidable. The paper will highlight different reasons and examples to support the statement. There will be the analysis of the cases where corruption and bribery are avoidable. The discussion will also analyse and evaluate the US and the UK regulations and frameworks on corruption and bribery. The approach of this research will be by use of literature materials on corruption and bribery in different societies.

Corruption and Bribery are endemic

Bribery and corruption are inevitable in many countries as most of the reports indicate. In Malaysia, many residents believe that in business, corruption and bribery are the key things for success. In fact, about 71 percent of the people interviewed in 2013 said that for one to do business, he must engage in some form of bribery and corruption (Barr & Serra 2009). There are many forms of corruption in many countries like Malaysia, France, Germany, and many African countries, especially fraud and land grabbingIn the US and the UK, corruption is rampant, especially in the corporations and the financial sector. Several cases of fraud occur in the UK and the US, according to the recent statistics, making the two countries to increase funding for the anti-corruption activities (Lord 2013). In many African countries, statistics reveals that corruption is very high especially in the government institutions, such as the schools, government corporations, county, and the national government.50 African countries reveals that corruption and bribery are endemic and unavoidable to many people (Hamid & Nasser 2011).

In France, corruption is rampant as many survey reports reveal. For instance, the former foreign minister, Roland, Dunas, whose corruption deal, involved the state oil giant Elf Aquitaine. In the other countries like the Philippines, corruption is rampant even in the higher offices in the government. For instance, the former president faces prosecution for enriching himself using the public resources. According to several reports from this country, corruption is rampant and inevitable even to the ordinary people, who pay bribes to get basic commodities (Ndangam 2006). Such commodities are telephone calls, bribes to the police officers, and to the judges to drop their cases or give them a lenient punishment.

y experience. Majority of employees are greedy and want to earn more that their salaries by asking for bribes from the service receivers. Surveys show that in many countries, people want to live a certain lifestyle, and most of the individuals cannot sustain their lifestyle with their salaries (Arnell & Onate)

many victims, who pay the bribes to acquire some services. Some individuals may be unwilling to pay bribes, but may not know where to report the crimes committed by the corrupt individual. It is difficult to avoid corruption in many cases because there are bad leaders in power, who facilitate corruption. (Anell & Onate). It is difficult to avoid corruption in many countries because human beings go on promoting people with the history of corruption and electing them to power. In many cases, the top politicians and businesspeople take and offer bribes, which encourage the lower working class people to take bribes as well. Those individuals, who refuse to take bribes, may face forceful transfers, sackings, or death. In Canada, corruption is rampant, and no one seems concerned with fighting it and is almost a way of life (Ndangam 2006). Many people, who engage in the corrupt activities, are people in the high leadership positions.

(Gilbert, Jo-Anne & Sarman 2014)the permission to operate their businesses, some have to offer bribes to the local authorities whether they are against corruption or not.

Corruption is avoidable

It is possible to avoid corruption, because there are those individuals who have morals and try to fight it with all their strength. Bribery is a crime, and many countries try to fight it through the judicial systems. In many countries, there are integrity centres for reporting corruption and bribery crimes, after which the perpetrators face the law. Corruption is avoidable by having legislation that assist in combating it, and getting rid of legal flaws, which allow corruption. Through the adoption of the international standards of fighting corruption, it is possible to bring down the cases in many countries, by prosecuting those who commit the crimes. Many companies, especially the private ones, corruption is low since there are whistleblowers to keep the corrupt individuals on their toes. There are several risks associated with corruption and bribery, which discourages people from accepting bribes. In some countries, the cultural norms do not allow corruption deals, and people who live in such countries avoid bribery and corruption. For instance in many western countries like the US, corruption is a very big crime punishable by the law (Economic Trends: Corruption 2010). Children growing in such countries adopt the belief that corruption is bad; hence grow up to responsible citizens. Some forms of corruption like stealing the public funds like the politicians do calls for serious punishments from the law courts.

The UK and the US regulatory framework on bribery and corruption

The UK and the US have a framework to help reduce corruption and bribery in their nations. The rules on corruption are tough for those who commit the crimes. In the US, the anti-corruption unit enacted the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) aimed at fighting corruption and combating fraud in the corporations. The act sets standards, which all the public and the private corporations should follow (Lord 2013). There are huge fines for corporations, in which their employees commit corruption of any nature. The other act is CDO and the Mortgage markets acts, which combats bribery and corruption in the financial corporation’s dealing with mortgages. The US President Obama also formed a new task force to investigate and foresee issues on corruption in the US (Lord 2013).

In the UK, there is increased investigations and prosecution of corruption cases (Barr & Serra). The anti-corruption unit also encourages citizens to report any corruption cases and avoid being corrupt.

Conclusion

From the discussion of the corruption and bribery, it is clear that the two are rampant in many regions all over the world. There are many cases of bribery by politicians, individual, (Lord 2013).

References

Arnell, P., & Onate, D., 2010. UK compliance with international law: bribery and corruption.International Journal of Liability and Scientific Enquiry, 3 (3), 183.

Barr, A. &Serra, D., 2009. The effects of externalities and framing on bribery in a petty corruption experiment. Exp Econ, 12 (4), 488-503.

Economic Trends: Corruption., 2010. East African Bribery Index. Africa Research Bulletin: Economic, Financial and Technical Series, 47 (7), 18757-18758.

Gilbert, Jo-Anne, &. Sharman, J., 2014. Turning A Blind Eye To Bribery: Explaining Failures To Comply With The International Anti-Corruption Regime. Political Studies (

Hamid I., &Nasser H., 2011. Bribery & corruption. Subang Indah, Petaling Jaya, Selangor: Gavel Publications.

Lord, N., 2013. Responding to transnational corporate bribery using international frameworks for enforcement: Anti-bribery and corruption in the UK and Germany. Criminology and Criminal Justice, 14 (1), 100-120

Mitchel, R., 1996. Political bribery in Japan. Honolulu. Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press.

Ndangam, L., 2006. ‘Gombo’: Bribery and the corruption of journalism ethics in Cameroon.Ecquid Novi: African Journalism Studies, 27 (2),179-199

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