Corruption in Traditional Society - Essay Example

Deflem (1995) viewed traditional practices in non-industrialized societies as practices that cannot be labeled corrupt because these might be justified in the traditional life world. Customs differ in every place and it would be unfair if some customary practices will be viewed as corrupt because of the Western views or their political system. He believed that practices of nepotism or favoritism must not be labeled as corrupt just because they are seen to counteract the norms of modern political and legal arrangements (Deflem, 1995).

According to Transparency International (TI), norms and values are context-bound and vary across cultures. The “gift culture” or gift-giving is part of the culture of people when negotiating and building relationships. However, there are limits in all cultures in which an action becomes corrupt and unacceptable. Because of these issues, Transparency International developed its national chapter system to cater to the issues of determining when a certain custom becomes a violation of the norm and is considered a practice of corruption. According to TI, abuse of power for personal gain or tapping of public or common resources into private pockets is unacceptable in all cultures and societies (Frequently Asked Questions about Corruption).

Myint (2000) on the other hand claims that corruption is universal. According to Myint (2000), it exists in all countries, both developed and developing countries. Corruption also subsists in public and private sectors and also in organizations whether charitable or non-profit (Myint, 2000). Therefore, corruption exists in all types of societies and does not exempt traditional societies in this case.

According to Transparency International, power is entrusted to officials to be used for the benefit of society at large and not for the benefit of the individual who holds this power (Frequently Asked Questions about Corruption). Thus there is a very high risk of officials taking advantage of their power. The gift-giving tradition can be used by unscrupulous officials as a way to take advantage of people in the name of the tradition. If tradition is a way to legitimize or legalize a certain act of gift-giving, the officials can use this practice to bribe to get what they want. For example, if society is used to giving rewards and money, a public official can use this practice to bribe people to secure positions, contracts, or negotiations. Because people do not have any concept of corruption only customs or culture, they are more likely to engage in the practice. Some people are not aware of these issues because they do not have any concept of corruption only tradition.