Corruption And Integrity In The World Politics Essay

Corruption And Integrity In The World Politics Essay Corruption is defined as the impairment of integrity, virtue, or moral principle or as inducement to wrong by improper or unlawful means such as bribery. Corruption is defined by the World Bank and Transparency International (TI) as the misuse of public office for private gain. Corruption is generally considered to be a symptom and outcome of weak governance. Examples of corruption include bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, patronage, graft, and embezzlement. While corruption may facilitate criminal enterprise such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and trafficking, it is not restricted to these activities. Stemming corruption requires strong oversight by parliaments, a well-performing judiciary, independent and properly resourced audit and anti-corruption agencies, vigorous law enforcement, transparency in public budgets, revenue and aid flows, as well as space for independent media and a vibrant civil society, said Huguette Labelle, chairwoman of Transparency International. Every year, Transparency International ranks 180 countries to create its corruption index. The least corrupt countries for 2009 are New Zealand and Denmark, respectively. The most corrupt countries are Somalia and Afghanistan, respectively. In comparison to Transparency Internationals 2008 ranked list, the least corrupt countries stayed the at the same ranking and the most corrupt countries only slightly changed- Somalia topped the list both years while Myanmar was the runner up in 2008. Somalia ended up as the most corrupt country on Transparency Internationals list for a variety of reasons. In 1992, most of Somalia was a disaster area. It was effectively destroyed. It had no government, no police force, nor even basic services. Murderous warlords battled savagely for control of the capital, Mogadishu and armed thugs and bandits roamed the country destroying and taking everything insight. The fighting and the drought claimed over 300,000 lives, and heartbreaking spectacles of emaciated bodies of famine victims were seen on a daily basis. Although droughts have played havoc with agricultural production, the food supply has been far more threatened by never-ending armed conflicts. It is true that external factors, including the colonial legacy, the Cold War, and other foreign meddling in African affairs, have played a role in creating the regions problems. However, the primary causes of Africas crises are of internal origin: misguided political leadership, corruption, capital flight, defective economic systems, senseless civil wars, and military vandalism. The basic problem here, besides a lack of competence, is total corruption. The top people line their pockets through political influence. It is difficult to prove the corruption, even when a top official speaks out about wrongdoing. Somalias problems could have been avoided if their leaders and elites had used their common sense. In Africa the people are the peasants the majority in every African nation. Some minimum level of stability, peace, order, civil society, and respect for civil liberties is necessary for productive activity. The principal beneficiaries of economic prosperity ought to be the peasants, not the elite minority that constitutes less than 10 percent. Another corruption-ridden country is Afghanistan. Corruption has multiple and severe adverse effects on Afghanistan. In addition to the direct financial costs of corruption (higher costs of contracts and public services, loss of public funds due to theft or misuse of government facilities and assets) there are substantial costs related to time devoted to corrupt practices by government officials, private businesses, and the public as well as, especially in the case of the security sector, the human costs (e.g. of threats, intimidation, victimization of people by security forces). Widespread corruption deters and distorts private investment. But perhaps most important, are the adverse implications of corruption, and popular perceptions of widespread corruption, for the effective functioning, credibility, and legitimacy of the state. A particular problem in this regard is drug-related corruption, allegedly involving senior Government officials, which interacts destructively with corrup tion in the security sector (especially the police) and justice sector. Not surprisingly, the basic forms of corruption in Afghanistan appear to be broadly similar to those found in other countries. These include petty corruption and bribery, extortion, outright theft of government assets, patronage, and corruption in government procurement. Examples of the former in Afghanistan include the apparently common practice of demanding money from the public for required forms and documents; bribery in return for obtaining an electricity connection, uninterrupted power service, or under-assessment of electricity bills; theft of fuel in municipal sanitation departments, etc. On the other hand, New Zealand is ranked the least corrupt country. Unlike much of the world, New Zealand is a nation where corruption is virtually unknown. It is unheard of to have to bribe public officials to do the jobs they are paid to do. Genuine wrongdoing is quickly exposed and offenders are dealt with in open court under fair and transparent laws. New Zealand has a zero tolerance policy on corruption and bribery, which means that it does not accept bribery within its own ranks or in cooperation with external partners. Not even a New Zealand police officer can be bribed. Anyone who tries to will be arrested on the spot. Everyone knows this, which is why nobody tries to, not even the worst, most desperate or richest criminals. While there have been a few instances of bribery among low-level public servants over the years, the offenders are caught and vigorously prosecuted. New Zealand has had their share of fraudulent businesspeople, but they are also prosecuted. Their justice system is a stiff and regimented one, with fiercely independent judges selected because of their legal abilities alone, not because of political views. Like New Zealand, Denmark has also adopted a zero-tolerance policy. The zero-tolerance policy means that anti-corruption clauses are now found in all Government Agreements and in all contracts with companies involved in preparing and implementing Denmarks development. All of Denmarks contracts include an anti-corruption clause, whereby companies will have to sign a declaration on non-bribery. Non-compliance with this clause might lead to a cease of contract and exclusion from future contracts. The common denominator for the least corrupt countries verses the most corrupt countries basically boils down to having an organized government and rules and regulations. In New Zealand and Denmark they clearly have a solid government with well-known anti-corruption policies. They enforce the zero tolerance level so that people realize that it isnt worth suffering the potential consequences of even trying to do wrong. Things tend to work progressively and smooth. Whereas, in the most corrupt countries the common denominator is chaos and disorganization. There tends to be no democracy or government (fair) to rule and control the citizens. And there tends to be much violence. The culture of the country does play a huge role in the countrys ethics. In the most corrupt countries, the people tend to be poor, uneducated, and live in extreme destitute conditions. There typically is no middle class only a small percentage of very wealthy and powerful and a large percentage of very poor and powerless. In the least corrupt countries, the people tend to be educated and live in comfortable conditions. Some possible ways to lessen the corrupt and unethical behaviors are to be clear and concise with anti-corruption policies. A good example is New Zealand. They have made sure that their laws are transparent and understandable. If someone does not follow the law they are prosecuted to the fullest extent. Having an enforceable zero tolerance policy is a huge step in lessening corruption. Some additional ways to lessen corruption are by improving public sector service delivery by focusing on public sector accountability and legal reform in order to re-introduce rule of law, building integrity by promoting governmental accountability and transparency; and building watchdog and enforcement agencies. Lack of accountability by national and international politicians and civil servants is probably one of the most important reasons why sustainable development has not occurred in most of the worlds poorest countries. The country needs to have an information surplus, control of the government, a nd eliminate opportunities and incentives for corrupt behavior. Social conditions such as increased literacy and education among the population can help curb corrupt behavior as well. My home country, the United States of America, ranked nineteenth on the Transparency International corruption list. US federal law prohibits bribery of both non-US and domestic federal public officials. The US federal anti-foreign bribery statute is the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act 1977. The FCPAÂ  applies to the people of the United States and companies, stockholders, officers, directors, employees, or agents acting on behalf of a United States company. The FCPA has anti-bribery provisions and prohibits indirect as well as direct improper payments. If someone has a conscious disregard, willful blindness, or deliberate ignorance, of culpable conduct or suspicious circumstances it may be adequate to support a violation of the FCPA. The penalties for violations of the FCPAs anti-bribery and corruption provisions are severe. For criminal convictions, companies could be fined the greater of $2 million for each violation or twice the gain earned on any business obtained through conduct that violated the FCPA. In addition to similar criminal fines, individuals can be imprisoned for up to five years. For civil violations, penalties of $10,000 for each violation may be imposed both on companies and individuals. Moreover, in recent years, SEC has insisted that companies forgo all profits earned through conduct that violated the FCPA. In several recent cases, the US Department of Justice and SEC have also required companies to engage for a three-year period an independent compliance monitor that provides periodic reports to the US authorities. The US federal laws also include various domestic bribery statutes, which prohibits bribery of US domestic public officials. This statute prohibits the giving of anything of value to a public official or person who has been selected to be a public official.

Childhood Memories Of Summer Camp Essay

â€Å"Are we there yet?† I yelled from the back seat of my best friend Alicia’s mothers grey minivan. My mother sat in front next to Mrs. Martin, while Alicia and I had the whole back seat to ourselves. Well, mostly except for the suitcases and gear we had packed to spend the week at Camp. I already knew the answer to the question I had asked so, it didn’t matter that both women in the front seat ignored me and continued on with their own conversation. The answer was no, but I knew we were getting close, because I could smell it. It smelled like the woods, like damp mulch, like soil and like trees. It smelled like mud puddles and like grass. It smelled like sunshine, laughter and an entire week of freedom. To me it smelled exactly like summer camp. Nothing in the world was more exciting than arriving at summer camp. Alicia and I could hardly make it through the two hour drive from home due to the anxiousness of what was to come. It was absolutely agonizing to get up that morning and pack everything perfectly, checking and rechecking our lists just to sit in a hot van for two long hours. When we finally did arrive, we immediately ran to the Camp lodge where we would check in and find out which cabin we were assigned to that year. †Cabin 11 again!† The same one we were in the year before. We then started on the long walk from the lodge to the cabin villages. We were quickly able to spot cabin 11. The cabins were wooden structures with a single room and no windows with the names we had carved in the wall from our last visit were still there. It had a small front porch and inside there were about 12 bunk beds. A few girls had already claimed their beds and began unpacking. Alicia and I found two top bunks beside each other and  threw all of our stuff right on the bed. Unpacking could be done later. We then, ventured outside to meet our counselor. Her name was Noel, she was short and pretty with dark curly hair. I don’t remember all the names of my camp counselors but Noel was one of my favorites throughout the next few years of attending summer camp. After that, Noel went over all the rules of her cabin pertaining to food, dirty laundry, being courteous of one another, etcetera. We all said our separate good byes to our parents. Some of the girls cried, while most of the girls cheered. After all, a week was an awful long time to not have your mommy within reach or nearby. Of course I was one of those that cried. However, with comforting words, my mom was always the best at making me feel secure again. She reminded me that it was only a week and she was only a phone call away. She hugged and kissed me, gave me a lecture on following the rules before her and Mrs. Martin started back towards the camp lodge. Summer Camp had officially begun! I could now, not only smell my week of freedom, I could touch it. All week long we would be busy doing many different activities. Some of my favorites were survival training, obstacle courses, wall climbing, mud soccer, swimming and campfires. My favorite thing of all was the five mile hike outside of the main camp that took you on a nature filled journey that taught us about the different plant life and geography native to the area. All of this ended with an overnight stay at a very primitive campsite that lacked the modern day amenities we are accustomed to. Just taking a shower required filling huge water basins that were assembled at the top of wooden outhouses while waiting for the sun to warm them up. The fun that summer camp entailed for me was endless. The sweet smell of happy childhood memories will linger inside my soul forever. It is really quite astounding to me that something as simple as a common smell could bring fourth such an abundance of joyful memories to a person. Still to this day, whenever I drive towards woodsy areas I am flooded with the most wonderful memories that could possibly exist on this Earth and today I have the privilege to make similar memories with my own family.

Baseball History Research Paper

Baseball History Research Paper For many decades baseball has been a great source of entertainment and fun for a huge range of fans from all over the world. As we know, the first game was played in Hoboken, New Jersey on June 19, 1846. On that day the NY Knickerbockers were defeated by the NY Nine with the score of 23-1. The baseball players were keeping up to the rules, established by Alexander J. Cartwright. There’s also a myth that the inventor of baseball was Abner Doubleday, but that is not true. The basic rules of the game were created by Alexander Cartwright. The Cincinnati Red Stockings were the first professional baseball team, who played a range of successful games in 1869. The rules have been changing during the whole period of the game’s existence. In 1900 they were almost like the ones we have today. Nowadays a new generation of baseball players has come. Among them is Mark McGwire, Sammie Sosa, etc. However, there’s one significant difference between the players of our days and the ones from the previous decades. The baseball players are making huge sums of money now. Millions of dollars they get as their prizes. Also the equipment for the game has changed. For example, it was like that in the case with gloves. At first, the baseball players wore thin leather pieces on their hands. It had 5 holes for fingers. In 1890ies the gloves looked like the ones the players wear nowadays. You may wonder how come that

Chapter 8- Philosophy Of Education Essay - 724 Words

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Student-Centered Philosophies are more focus on the individual needs, contemporary relevance and preparing students for a changing future. One student-centered philosophy is Progressivism. Progressivism schools are centered on the concerns, curiosity, and real-world experiences. Teaching students to develop meaningful question about life and finding the answer to those question through experience. Similarly, Social Reconstructionism ‘encourage schools, teachers and students to focus theirShow MoreRelatedChapter 6 : Philosophies Of Education1332 Words   |  6 PagesKaur Savdeep MCC 623 Journal# 3 Chapters 6,7, 8 Spring 2017 Chapter 6: Philosophies of education Philosophy means Love of Knowledge.† One of the important means of getting knowledge is Education. Philosophers state different theories on education. Behind every school and every teacher is a set of related beliefs-a philosophy of education- that influences what and how students are taught. 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