Corruption in Government Is Considered by Nearly

Corruption in government is considered by nearly every society as a destructive force. Most view corruption as having a negative impact on a nation's commerce and as a source of social injustice. The lack of accountability by those in authority is considered to be a contributing cause of corruption. The lack of accountability is present in governments where the ruling authorities are afforded considerable discretion such as authoritarian style governments but it is also present in democratic governments as well.

Democratic governments offer a measure of protection absent in authoritarian style governments. In democratic governments, at least theoretically, corruption can be controlled by the ballot box. The rule of law in such governments dictates that everyone regardless of their position, authority, or wealth is subject to the same set of laws and standards. In autocratic governments the basis of power is vested in a small group of political or economic elites, the military, or some form of secret police. In such situations there is no respect for the rule of law and protecting one's self-interest becomes the paramount concern. In most cases protecting one's self-interest involves participating in bribes and other forms of corruption. In such societies and governments the level of one's lifestyle is determined by how successfully an individual is able to satisfy those in power. Where an individual lives, the type of job someone holds, and the income received is subject to satisfy the group in control. Under such circumstances, corruption is to be expected.

In an autocratic style government, corruption is usually so ingrained in the economic and political system that if the corruption were to be suddenly abolished or placed under strict control the entire system of government would be threatened. Under such circumstances the government must not only allow the corruption to continue but it must actually promote it. A disruption in corruption may actually threaten to cause an imbalance in the political and economic system to the point that government existence might be in danger. This explains why autocratic governments actually actively participate in the corruption and why even governments that are attempting to reform their style of economy such as China still strongly maintain the areas of their economy that are most susceptible to corruption such as banking, the stock market, telecommunications and transportation. Maintaining such control allows the government to ensure that corruption will be minimized until such time as safeguards can be put in place that guarantee that the rule of law and a more transparent governmental structure can be organized.

Corruption or at least concerns about corruption also offer autocratic governments a scapegoat when the need arises. From time to time autocratic governments must purge a group or individuals that they consider to poise a possible threat and accusing such group or individual of corruption is an easy method of tagging the group or individuals for removal. This system was used repeatedly in Soviet Russia and Communist China to cleanse the government of possible threats.