Corruption and Culture

[Icarus]

I am currently working on this topic. Thought I could use some analysis.

I define corruption in the conventional sense - "The misuse of public office for personal gains."

Now, I claim corruption depends on 2 factors -
1) A social structure that permits someone to be corrupt.
2) Institutions that fail to punish corruption.

Point 2 is what most societies focus on. Richer countries have lower corruption because they have money to develop institutions to keep people in check .

By point 1 I mean concepts like social heirarchy, etc. For example in a society with lesser power inequalities, nobody has the power to be corrupt. And thus low levels of corruption.

Now, while these seem fairly obvious, most policies and explanations of corruption fail to consider the basic culture of a society. now, culture is a vague term but I define it as social norms which are not imposed upon society but slowly develop with time.

The fact is that corruption is a very western concept. Many societies just didn't function this way. For example is Russia, "corruption" was sometimes just a mean to get around the red tape that hindered progress. Corruption CAN be welfare-improving.
Also gift-taking and giving is a part of many cultures. ex. guanxi in China. To call inefficient fails to look at how or why it has developed.

I am trying to look at how other cultural factors might affect corruption. And if culture is as big a component of corruption as is the institutions of a country.
(I do understand that the differences between institutions and culture are sometimes blurred, and difficult to analyze, but I am trying to this)

Any inputs?

[charles brough]

Yes, I have some imput.

Here is another totally different slant on it: remember that we are evolved social primates used to living in small groups. Let us say we use a common ideology to enable us to identify with a society or nation which is almost infinitively larger than the little groups we evolved in. So, here is what happens when that ideological bond we have in common with others divides and breaks down: the leaders (that is, the Alpha males) no longer regard their nation or society as being their instinctive group. So, they descend back to the group and conceptualize their family--that is, the wife, children, perhaps the mistress, friends and relatives---as his group. So, it is they who he guards, whose welfare he protects and takes care of. This is what "corruption" is. See: the Atheistic Science Institute - home page

charles