Hierarchies of corruption in Eastern Europe - Romania

A detailed Summary of Hierarchies of corruption in Eastern Europe - Romania

"I am not a crook," said former president Richard Nixon when he resigned.

Perhaps he believed it too. However, the rest of the country knew it was not true. What one believes to be true and what is true, at times could be worlds apart.

Corruption very well falls in this category. When corruption takes place, some people know that what they are doing is corruption and is wrong and in most cases against the law. Others not only may not even be aware that they are taking part in corrupt activities, but also believe that their choice of action is in the name of survival, thus making it OK. In fact if the result of the transaction is favorable in other words it lives up to expectations, the players will be quiet proud.

But what is corruption? While one may find different definitions depending on the source, and even more so when it becomes a matter of opinion, here is one definition that tries to encompass corruption the best.

Corruption is any agreement between parties to act or refrain from acting in violation of the Public Trust for profit or gain in either the private or public sector.

The definition leads us to the two different types of corruption: One is when the party taking the bribe will act against the law to give

One may commit a corrupt act to obtain political power, or monetary gains, which could be a small amount of money to fund simple needs such as food, clothing and shelter; or, the money taken as bribe could be large amounts not at all out of need, but more so for luxury items or trips that one may just simply want. Is any one of these scenarios justified? While the quick and easy answer would be no, I would thoughtfully say, well that's a good question, and more so a debatable.

But the real cause of corruption comes from the very top where we have the richest and the most corrupt. Government and high-ranking officials, private and public sector combined. These people and the entire system are so corrupt that there is no way out. It has become a custom, a tradition, and a way of life.

Now that we know what corruption is and how it takes places, the question is why? Why do people become vulnerable to corruption? Understanding the reasons and causes or circumstances of corruption will in turn lead us to understand the pyramid of corruption.

People become accustomed to the fact that the only way one can get anything done is by paying bribes, giving gifts offering special favors. It becomes so rooted that non-corruption raises questions. If an official does not want to take a bribe or a gift for basically just doing his job, the receiver will start to be skeptical about whether they will really receive what they expect or what was promised Or if they already did receive it, speculation begins as to what's the ketch. People can't even comprehend the fact that someone is doing their job without expecting anything more in return other than their legal wages.

I shall entertain the short version of my theory why I believe economics come first. When people are motivated to receive good services or otherwise favors, there are those that we absolutely need to survive (food, clothing, shelter) and those that we could do without although we may not want to. When using corruption to obtain the things we needs, there isn't really a choice one could make. The choice is basically obtain what you need and survive or die.

If the bureaucracy and red tape are so high that the business owner cannot obtain the government licenses or subsidies designed for the very purpose to help the business, than corruption is the only solution. Of course it takes two sides. The government official who is willing to make those services available right away is accepting the bribe. But in an inefficient economy where corruption is so rooted, there is no other way. Nevertheless, this is still the must make choice for the individual to survive. If the business owner would not offer a bribe, than would still have the choice of having to work through the red tape and paying with his time, or do something else for a living.

Some common words found in the essay are:
World Bank, Humorous Maybe, Public Trust, Richard Nixon, police officer, highly recommended, , corruption takes, corruption political, money buy, survive food, body else, red tape, political cultural, private sector, doctor highly recommended, police officer accepts, private public sector, food clothing shelter, highly recommended patient,

Approximate Word count = 3185
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Politics