CAUSES AND DRIVERS OF CORRUPTION
Corruption inhabits no single shape, it is multitudinous, nuanced, and overlapping. In an effort to capture the copious nature of corruption, Johnston (2007) categorizes it into 4 Syndromes, namely: Influence Market Corruption, Elite Cartel Corruption, Official Mogul Corruption, and Oligarch and Chan corruption.
Of these, the Philippines is most familiar with the Oligarch-and-Clan Corruption, characterized by “a disorderly, sometimes violent scramble among contending oligarchs seeking to parlay personal resources into wealth and power” (Abrea, 2023; Johnston, 2005).
This syndrome of corruption reflects the subjugation of public interest for the sake of private gain through bribery, patronage and control over state resources (Mendoza, 2023). These instances operate in self-reinforcing cycles, yet albeit repetitive and seemingly normative, they continue to inflict deep social harm. Oftentimes, growing more catastrophic, hence the continued need to explore and address.
Within this broader landscape, we seek to narrow down by looking into the role of 1) weak governance and 2) bureaucratic red tape in intensifying corruption.
Weak Governance
According to Hanafi (2018), corruption is encouraged by ineffective government processes and a lack of openness. The deficiency of transparency in decision-making and resource management processes give corruptors the chance to carry out corrupt activities undetected by the general public (Heliany et al., 2023)
Bureaucratic Red Tape
Complicated bureaucracy and unclear processes can also provide opportunities for corruption, enabling dishonest personnel to impede the process or demand bribes to expedite it (Rose-Ackerman, 2013).
EDUCATION AS THE WAY FORWARD
The media has become a political playground for politicians and the affluent elite to exact interest and proliferate propaganda that serves their personal interests. In a study by Santos et al. (2012) they report on how media outlets are being monopolized and how this engenders the homogeneity of information where hints of variation are not tenets of diversity but more so a combative ploy between and among rival personalities. This confluence of information is manipulative in so far as it provides the illusion of a multifaceted perspective when in truth, the choices available to us are mere ornaments to forward a political agenda. Joseph Raz (2009) describes manipulation as:
[Manipulating a] person by intentionally changing his tastes, his beliefs, or his ability to act or decide. Manipulation, in other words, is manipulation of the person, of those factors relevant to his autonomy, which are internal to him"
With this in mind, we find a disorienting pivot, where the abundance of information and the propaganda subtext, makes it harder to listen. We live in a world rammed with propagandic chatter, disillusioned by the reality that we are merely pawns in this circus of corruption. An article published in the Harvard Law Review speaks of how there is “silencing in spending” where the media serves as vehicles for political and business interests which perpetuates the endemic of unchecked political money; Which, in the end dismantles the system of checks and balances and makes us susceptible to the what Prof. Matthew Stephonson, a Harvard Law Professor and scholar, called “cynical resignation” – where we recognize the harms of corruption but at the same time feel helpless if we can ever really eradicate it, so we acquiesce until, unknowingly, we become insidiously desensitized to its inhumane repercussions.
Hence, in our study, we seek to explore how education can serve as a weapon to combat corruption. Santos et al. (2012) supports this framework postulates that educational institutions play a fundamental role in instilling values sequentially molding public opinion and shaping the concept of nationalism especially among youth. Thus, we seek to examine a causal sequence where 1) Education drives awareness, which in turn 2) breeds a more informed and critical youth, and in the long run 3) Nurtures a new generation of politicians. While admittedly utopic and egalitarian, we believe that to hope and bring this hope into action, is far better than to passively watch as the ills of society putrefy us.
1. Education drives awareness
Kurnia and Soeratin (2023) discuss awareness at the grassroots and suggests that students that receive anti-corruption education are better able to comprehend what corruption is, how it harms society, and why combating it is crucial. By raising this awareness, students will be able to spot corrupt practices, actively work to stop them, and develop into change agents who actively combat and prevent corruption in society.
2. Education breeds more informed youth
Heliany et al. (2023) proposes that anti-corruption at an early age is crucial for character development and in inculcating an "introspective personality” into one’s personhood. They posit that is important so that “when it is time to enter society, children are no longer easily influenced and have sufficient and correct knowledge about anti-corruption.” At an individual level this means that children are exposed to corruption schemes present in everyday life, where they are taught to thwart such efforts by “refusing to give or accept bribes, managing conflicts of interest, and reporting acts of corruption” (Heliany et al., 2023; Aziz, 2021).
When critical thinking is instilled, the youth are more likely to analyze circumstances that are prone to corruption and thus less likely to be held captive in corruptive acts.
3. New Generation of Leaders
In the long run, this trains a new generation of politicians – sensitized to the ills of society and contra the pitfall of indifference. Students who get anti-corruption education are also more likely to develop positive leadership traits. They learn the value of upholding human rights, being accountable for the public good, and leading with integrity. This contributes to the development of leaders with integrity and a dedication to combating corruption in the future. They must lead by example and maintain honesty and integrity as future leaders (Heliany et al., 2023).
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