The Most Corrupt Country - Research Paper Example

Most Corrupt and Least Corrupt Countries Compared According to the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index in 2008, Somalia ranked most corrupt country in the world with a score oft 1.0. It is followed by Iraq and Myanmar at 1.3. The least corrupt countries, on the other hand, are Denmark, New Zealand and Sweden the highest score at 9.3 (TICPI, 2008). Somalia has a land area of 242,216 sq mi (627,339 sq km) and a total area of 246,199 sq mi (637,657 sq km). It has an estimated population of 9,832,017 with a growth rate of 2.8%; birth rate is 43.7/1000 with infant mortality rate of 109.1/1000; and life expectancy of 49.6. Its major religion is Islam (Sunni) with an estimated literacy rate of 38% (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107979.html). Somalia is located in the Horn of Africa lying along the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. "It is bounded by Djibouti in the northwest, Ethiopia in the west, and Kenya in the southwest. In area it is slightly smaller than Texas. Generally arid and barren, Somalia has two chief rivers, the Shebelle and the Juba." According to records, in the years January 1991 until August 2000, it had no stable government. "A fragile parliamentary government was formed in 2000, but it expired in 2003 without establishing control of the country. In 2004, a new transitional parliament was instituted and elected a president" (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107979.html). Somalia has a GDP/PPP approximately $5.575 billion with a per capita of $600. Its real growth rate is 2.6% and there is no inflation rate record because "businesses print their own money". Despite its vast land area, it has only an arable land of 2% that is produces bananas, sorghum, corn, coconuts, rice, sugarcane, mangoes, sesame seeds, beans; cattle, sheep, goats; and fish. Its labor force is 3.7 million with very few are skilled laborers (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107979.html).. Sharing the rank of second most corrupt country with Myanmar is Iraq. It is bordered by Kuwait, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. Most of its land is desert and mountainous. The average temperatures range from above48C (120F) in the months of July and August down to below freezing in January. About 75% of Iraq's population resides in the flat, alluvial plain stretching southeast from Baghdad and Basrah to the Persian Gulf. Its major religion is Islam. Its major source of income is oil with very little agriculture due to its vast desert land (http://www.infoplease.com/country/profiles/iraq.html). Iraq maintains a constitutional democracy with a federal system of government. "The executive branch is made up of the Presidency Council (one president, two deputy presidents) and a Council of Ministers (one prime minister, two deputy prime ministers, and 34 cabinet ministers)." Its legislative branch is made up of an elected Council of Representatives and a Federation Council. There are 275 members of the Council of Representatives. The judicial branch is independent (http://www.infoplease.com/country/profiles/iraq.html). On the other hand, Denmark shares the least corrupt country with New Zealand and Sweden. Its government is parliamentary, headed by a Queen and a Prime Minister. Its industrialized market economy is based on materials imported through foreign trade maintaining a liberal trade policy within the European Union. About 1% of its gross national product (GNP) is given to foreign aid to less developed countries. This is only a manifestation that Danish economy is high and stable. In addition, all citizens of Denmark receive basic health care and real poverty is out of place in this country (http://www.infoplease.com/country/profiles/denmark.html). Denmark is an active member of International Organizations such as the: United Nations; NATO; the EU; Nordic cooperation; the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund; the World Trade Organization (WTO); the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); the Council of Europe; the Nordic Council; the Baltic Council; and the Barents Council. "Denmark emphasizes its relations with developing nations" and "it remains a significant donor and one of the few countries to exceed the UN goal of contributing 0.7% of GNP to development assistance" (http://www.infoplease.com/country/profiles/denmark.html). New Zealand has an area of 270,500 sq. km. with a terrain that is highly varied, from snowcapped mountains to lowland plains. Its climate is temperate to subtropical. Its recorded population in 2006 is 4,181,175. Its major religions are Roman Catholic (12.6%) and Presbyterian (10.8%). It maintains compulsory education at ages 6 to 16 with an attendance of 100%, thus its literacy rate is 99%. Its Infant mortality rate as of December 2006 is 5.1/1,000 with a life expectancy for males at 76.3 and females at 82.3 years. Its work force with 1.16 million in 2006 is composed of: services and government at 59%; manufacturing and construction at 32%; agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and mining at 8.9% (http://www.infoplease.com/country/profiles/new-zealand.html). New Zealand maintains a parliamentary form of government closely patterned on that of the United Kingdom and is a fully independent member of the Commonwealth with no written constitution. The chief of state is the Queen and the head of government is the Prime Minister. It has s GDP of U.S. $93.1 billion in 2006 with real annual GDP growth rate of 1.5%. The per capita income in is 2004 U.S. $23,91 (http://www.infoplease.com/country/profiles/new-zealand.html). As revealed in the Transparency International Survey, Somalia and Iraq share common forms of corruption in the government and institutions due to two major causes: poverty and conflict with neighboring countries. The results reveal the "link between poverty, failed institutions and graft" (www.transparency.org). Corruption is one factor that makes these two countries remain in the poverty level. Since the funds are misused and abused, more people suffer with only a few enjoying the "blessings". These are the ones who have the power to control and exploit the resources. Added to poverty is the conflict with neighboring countries. With the lack of peace and order, the countries' economies also suffer. The Transparency International declares that "In addition to undermining the delivery of basic social services such as education and health, corruption, and the negative perceptions it generates, can fuel public distrust, while in cases such as Somalia the lowest CPI scores demonstrate a disturbing link to conflict, and economic and political collapse. Iraq's score of 1.3 highlights the continuing importance of establishing solid, functioning institutions capable of preventing corruption and implementing the rule of law" (Corruption Perceptions Index, 2008). The least corrupt countries are obviously belonging to the First World, developing and wealthy. Denmark and New Zealand both have a stable government and have developed solid alliances with international organizations and secure international relations. Since the government system and economy are stable, corruption can be easily detected and eliminated. Although the results of the Transparency International surveys are mostly based on perceptions, they are reliable given the proven methods and length of practice. I may be wrong but I have observed that the Somalia and Iraq share a common religion, Islam. Since I am not familiar with this religion, I cannot conclude if this has something to do with the cause of corruption in the identified countries. Thus I can say maybe some of the practices of the Muslim religion can be avenues for some people to commit graft and corruption. This is a disturbing observation because the least corrupt countries (Denmark and New Zealand) are dominantly non-Muslim. The forms of government also differ in the corrupt countries and that of the least corrupt ones. Both Denmark and New Zealand have the parliamentary government headed by a queen and a prime minister. Somalia and Iraq have some sort of unstable government based on democracy. The misconception of democracy may be one cause for corruption. Since there is more freedom, then there is more freedom to abuse power. This again may sound disturbing and absurd though. To diminish, if not completely eradicate corruption, I have observed that the basic human need should be met. This would mean food, clothing and some form of personal dignity and significance. Corruption may be more of a moral issue but if a person's basic physical needs are unmet, he/she may be forced to do the immoral in order to survive. Corruption has then become a means to survival. The United States is neither the most corrupt nor the least corrupt. It stands near the least corrupt though. According to Transparency International "The US score, at 7.3 in 2008, has decreased slightly over the past few years and its global ranking (18) continues to be one of the lowest among the world's leading industrialized countries. Contributing factors may include a widespread sense that political finance is in need of reform, with lobbyists and special interest groups perceived to have an unfair hold on political decision-making. Nearly three-quarters of voters polled after the 2006 US Congressional elections identified corruption as an extremely important issue" (Corruption Perceptions Index, 2008). This information is alarming. The United States prides itself to be one of the best in all forms of life, a real giant among the dwarfs but ethically it does not shine in comparison to the other giants in the world. Again, I can see that so much freedom may be the cause why corruption remains in this country. When people become relaxed about restrictions, they tend to abuse their power and do as they please. Some do things for reasons they could justify and get away with easily but there is again a need to strengthen policies and guard against these conflicts. As a citizen of this country, I would have wished that the US would rank first in the least corrupt countries but the truth hurts. The United States has lost its glory in this area of the world. References Somalia. (15 December 2009). . Iraq. (15 December 2009). . Denmark. (15 December 2009). . New Zealand. (15 December 2009). . Global Corruption Barometer. (2009). Transparency International. www.trasparency.org. Persistently high corruption in low-income countries amounts to an "ongoing humanitarian disaster." (2008). Corruption Perceptions Index. Germany: Transparency International. (15 December 2009). . Read More