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Thesis On Graft And Corruption

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Introduction

Graft and corruption has always plagued most, if not all, governments across the globe. According to the 2015 Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index (CPI), 68% of countries worldwide have a serious corruption problem. Also, not one single country, anywhere in the world, is corruption-free. CPI is a survey done on the prevalence of public sector corruption worldwide. It ranks and scores the more than 150 participating nations every year in terms of its perceived levels of corruption.

When talking about graft and corruption, the Philippine experience is also one that is very interesting to look at. As a country, it has a long history of graft and corruption paired with erring public servants.

According to …show more content…

Graft and Corruption Defined

There is no comprehensive, universally accepted definition of corruption. Transparency International (2016) defines corruption as "the abuse of entrusted power for private gain." It can be classified as grand, petty and political, depending on the amounts of money lost and the sector where it occurs.

The United Nations Convention does not have an official definition of corruption. Rather, it defines specific acts of corruption which include bribery and embezzlement, but also money laundering, concealment and obstruction of justice. According to the World Bank (2000) the term corruption refers to the various ways in which public office is abused for personal …show more content…

Though in other publications (World Bank, 2000; Hutchcroft, 1998; PIDS and Philippine APEC Study Center Network, 2006) , the word 'graft' is used interchangeably or together with 'corruption'. The use of the term 'graft' seem to be unique to literature that discuss corrupt behavior and practices in the Philippine setting.

Graft and Corruption in the Philippines

The realization that corruption equates to the abuse of the rights of Filipino citizens to better government services has also sparked many national campaigns and movements which sought to reduce corruption in the country. One of the most historic of these movements is the People Power Revolution in 1986, the iconic peaceful assembly of millions of Filipinos to overthrow a corrupt dictator and restore freedom and democracy to the country.

Just this year, the nation has celebrated the 30th anniversary of the People Power Revolution. But several years after this powerful show of force of the masses, it seemed as if corruption has still managed to sift through the potholes of our national and local

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