Government corruption in the United States and Mexico

Criminal Justice

Government Corruption in the U.S. And Mexico

Let us begin this examination of the malfeasant and fraudulent actions of elected officials in the United States and Mexico by establishing what corruption is and is not. Government corruption is defined as 'the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain when the act relates to their official duties'. Although loathsome and detestable, police brutality, citizen repression and other acts of illegality on the part of persons or corporations do not fall under the heading of government corruption.

The types of government corruption are copious. Nepotism, cronyism, embezzlement, bribery, graft, extortion, exploitation, affiliation with organized crime, breach of trust, fraud, profiteering, patronage, payoffs, and skimming are some of the more heinous examples. In addition, government corruption may simply be the act of facilitating criminal enterprise including such things as laundering dirty money, drug or human trafficking, prostitution and illegal gambling.

Globally, corruption is made possible where there are ineffective, rogue or weak governments at the helm or where there is an obvious need for reform, yet it remains slow or elusive. Puppet regimes, vague or poorly defined responsibilities and powers, or simple outright thievery on behalf of government officials all add to the annual cost of corruption which has been estimated at around one trillion dollars.

While Mexican and American citizens tend to feel their elected officials are highly corrupt one reliable source places the United States as the 17th and Mexico as 65th least corrupt nation in the world out of 159 countries reviewed (http://www.nationmaster.com/index.php). Chad, an African country, is the most corrupt and Iceland the least. Perhaps the reason we sense that corruption is rampant is simply because an aggressive press keeps us informed and elected officials on their feet to a greater degree than other countries. However, that is not to say that any political corruption is acceptable so let us continue our examination of fraud in the U.S. And Mexico.

Why is government corruption common in the U.S. And Mexico?

Resources abound on the topic of corruption in the United States. One source states there are varying degrees of corruption between the federal, state and local levels in America with state and local governments tending to be more crooked (Maxwell and Winters, 2003). They write there are 'higher levels of professionalism' at the national level and the federal government enjoys the luxury of being able to draw from among the best and brightest across the country (translate -- people with higher moral character). In addition, there are a greater number of review, oversight and monitoring committees as well as watchdog and interest groups that subject politicians to pronounced levels of scrutiny at the federal level.

This information may hearten the reader and lull them into a false sense of security -- believing that our government protects us from the evils of corruption. Indeed, there is evidence that a democratic society designed with checks and balances in tandem with a citizenry free to criticize and oversee their elected officials offers extended assurance of honesty. However, statistics of governmental corruption in the U.S. demonstrate that this is not a fool proof defense (because, in my opinion, it is not possible to guard against the corruptible nature of human beings).

As well, numerous studies examine the source of corruption in Mexico and two researchers makes a bold claim about the symbiotic nature of trust and corruption. According to Morris and Klesner (2010)

The lack of trust fed by corruption is considered critical in that it undermines government efforts to mobilize society to help fight corruption and leads the public to routinely dismiss government promises to fight corruption. The authors discover a powerful mutual causality between perceptions of corruption and trust in political institutions that suggests that rooting out perceptions of corruption or shoring up trust in public institutions will be an extremely difficult project for anyone who takes on the task.

The only conclusion that can be drawn from this is there is extensive corruption in both countries and the answer to ending it is complicated and challenging.

What are current trends in corruption in the U.S. And Mexico?

Drug trafficking and violent crime are the two most urgent problems facing Mexico today and because of its proximity to the United States their problem has become our problem as the drug wars have spilled over the border into our country. In addition, there is a greater economic and social polarization in Mexico which further exacerbates corruption and crime statistics.

Daily headlines from all sources of media blares warnings of a drug war that is out of control and literally thousands of innocent lives have been caught in the cross-fire. According to one source (Tuckman, 2010) "With more than 2,000 people killed since the new year, 2010 is shaping up to overtake the record 6,500 drug-related murders last year, which exceeded the toll of more than 5,000 in 2008."

It was one thing when Americans could read about this tragedy over morning coffee from the comfort of their homes clucking their tongues in sympathy. But now the drug war has crossed over onto American soil and U.S. citizens are being kidnapped and killed, hence, we are being drawn into this drug war simply to protect ourselves. (of course, we are the major purchaser of these drugs to begin with -- an issue for another essay).

At the same time, there is no end in sight of corruption in the United States. The most common in the past few decades is white collar crime and that encompassed a number of categories including "securities fraud, mail fraud, criminal tax fraud, obstruction of justice, money laundering, mortgage and health care fraud and more" (Gaul, 2010).

There is no lack of books and scholarly articles written on all aspects of the topic of white collar crime. In an attempt to understand the criminal behind the behavior one theory states that "white collar crime has its genesis in the process of differential association or by associating with those who consider this behavior favorable" (Sutherland, 1983). Unfortunately, taking the opportunity to perceive the human being behind the fraud has done nothing to put a dent in corruption in the United States.

According to another source "one in three American households are victims of white collar crimes but only 41% report it" (Johnston, 2002). While our focus is not to root out the enigma of underreporting we will note that as in the case with Mexico, Johnston points out that the probable cause is a sense of futility on behalf of the victim that law enforcement is able to do anything to rectify the situation and bring the criminal to justice. In addition, he notes that white collar crimes cost consumers up to $300 billion annually.

What are the effects of government corruption on officials' families and relationships?

One wonders why the criminal spends little time in forethought on the effects their crime will have on their families if the wrongdoer is apprehended. Certainly there is sparse information written on the subject. In fact, one can find articles that relate the effects of corruption on nearly everything except the family. For instance, authors have discussed corruption and the global economy, fraud and economic reforms and even the impact of corruption on development.

The effects of corruption on families and relationships are often penned in soap opera type magazines or human interest newsreels. Each piece begins with a commentator relating the circumstances surrounding the downfall and incarceration of a criminal, such as Bernie Madoff. A brief review of the case is followed up with tearful interviews with the victims and sometimes the perpetrator's family -- allowing the network to claim they have offered a fair and unbalanced examination of the topic.

This type of programming is akin to slowing down and watching a fiery wreck on the side of the road. It gives us our dose of gruesome reality and serves as a reminder of 'but for the grace of God go I'. Our needs are met on several levels. We are able to empathize with the victims (and a few with the perpetrator -- after all, the temptation was so great how could he or she resist?) and embrace relief that we ourselves remain unscathed.

On the other hand, though, the other victims of corruption are the families who have lost loved ones in an effort to stop it, which is a common occurrence in Mexico where police and judges are gunned down with great regularity. In this case, the effects of corruption are obvious -- stand up against corruption and place your own life in peril. It is the age-old tale of good vs. evil but to stop trying to bring an end to corruption is not a possibility.

What policies are in place to deter government corruption?

The issue of government corruption in Mexico and, to a lesser extent, the United States must be addressed. The question is three-fold. Are their government policies currently in place to deter government corruption and, if so, are they effective? If not, what further action needs to be taken to stem the tide of graft and greed that impacts everyone?

As drug cartels wreak havoc across the country of Mexico honest politicians are searching for anything that can be done to even slow down corruption. One group has offered that social welfare reform would be an effective deterrent to corruption. "Conditional cash transfer programs, an innovation in social welfare administration, have received considerable acclaim as a means of enhancing human capital and reducing leakage of public resources" (Grimes and Wangnerud, 2010), one extensive form of corruption in Mexico. It is innovative problem solving such as this that offers the greatest hope for bringing government corruption to an end in either Mexico or the United States.