Corruption in Public Life: Can the Menace Be Curbed?

Corruption, the most widely quoted issue these days, is a growing menace infested in many growing economies around the world including ours. Defined as the use of public office for private gain, or in other words, use of official position, rank or status by an office bearer for his own personal benefit, corruption inflicts collateral damage upon a political entity resulting in delays, disturbance, distortion and diversion of growth and development. Efforts to fight corruption over the past decades have shown that the dynamics of corruption are inherently political. Now that corruption has entered centre stage on the development agenda, reforms must address several fronts: improving the bureaucracy and civil service, strengthening checks and balances in government, promoting political competition and accountability, facilitating citizen participation, and strengthening economic competition.