*Topicality/Definitions Democracy Promotion Includes Military Intervention
AT: Corruption Hurts Growth and Development
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AT: Corruption Hurts Growth and DevelopmentAT: CORRUPTION UNDERMINES TAX REVENUE NECESSARY FOR DEVELOPMENT- ARGUMENT OVERSTIMATES PROPENSITY OF GOVERNMENTS TO SPEND THE MONEY ON DEVELOPMENT Robin Theobald, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Polytechnic of Central London, 1990, Corruption, Development and Underdevelopment, p. 112 Regarding the alleged negative effects of corruption, Leff believes that most of the arguments are based upon the assumption that development is best produced by an uncorrupted administration. This position assumes that governing elites are actually concerned about development, whereas in reality they may be more preoccupied with advancing their own interests. Again the view that corruption emasculates a government’s ability to appropriate taxes, which can then be used for development, needs to be treated with caution. This argument probably attributes to elites a higher propensity to spend for development purposes than is actually the case. The goal of economic development often has much lower priority for indigenous elites that it does for western observers. This means that revenues that might have been collected (were there no corruption) are as likely to have been spent on jet fighters or luxury hotels as on hospitals, schools, or irrigation projects. Furthermore if the propensity of entrepreneurs to invest is higher than that of governments, then the funds that elude the revenue collector will be a gain rather than a loss for development.
Robin Theobald, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Polytechnic of Central London, 1990, Corruption, Development and Underdevelopment, p. 112-3 One of the most frequently voiced criticisms of corruption is that it engenders a climate of greed, selfishness and cynicism which drastically undermine if not destroy the willingness to make the sacrifices that are necessary for development. Leff is extremely dubious about this line of argument basically for two reasons: firstly, in so far as disillusion is engendered among the lower classes the consequences will be minimal as this sector is already being squeezed to a degree that makes further sacrifice virtually impossible. Secondly, he is skeptical about the view that development depends heavily upon a collective pulling-together. As far he is concerned economic growth is much more likely to be the outcome of individual ambition and drive. Therefore an ethos of self-aggrandisement is not necessarily harmful to the social economic order. Not only may such an ethos produce growth but it can also assist the dissolution of the traditional ties and obligations that are often seen as an impediment to development. NEGATIVE CORRUPTION IMPACTS EXAGGERATED – CORRUPTION VERY HARD TO OVERCOME Robin Theobald, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Polytechnic of Central London, 1990, Corruption, Development and Underdevelopment, p. 113 The consequences of corruption, Leff concludes, are thus not as serious as is often assumed. And anyway corruption is deeply rooted in the psychological and social structures of the countries where it is allegedly prevalent. Consequently its elimination cannot be realistically anticipated until certain fundamental changes have taken place. The most important of these are the rise to predominance of universalistic norms, the emergence of new centers of power outside the bureaucracy and the development of competitive party politics. Such changes, however, can come about only after a long period of social and economic development. Corruption Harms ExaggeratedINCREASE IN AFRICAN CORRUPTION DUE TO INCREASED REPORTING Robert Charlick, Political Science Professor, Cleveland State University, 1993, Corruption and Reform 7:177-187, p. 182 Revelations or accusations of corrupt behavior in the media as societies liberalize and democratize, however, should not be equated with a rising level of corruption. It has only been very recently that the taboo against reporting on corruption in Africa, except by newly installed juntas seeking to justify their own action, has been lifted. An explosion of pent-up information awaits an evaluation by elites, demonstrators, and voters. The biggest danger, however, is that as the media campaign wears on, everyone will become cynical about corruption and despair of holding any public official accountable for this abuse. A responsible media, therefore, might do well to target systemic and highly important cases, rather than focus on the day-to-day irritations of petty and routine corruption.
Anti-Corruption Efforts Increase Risk of WarEFFORTS TO DECREASE CORRUPTION CAN RETARD NATION-BUILDING AND INCREASE WAR Philippe Le Billon, Liu Institute for Global Issues, University of British Columbia, 2003, Journal of International Development, 15: 413-426, p. abstract Although corruption may have a corrosive effect on economies and rule-based institutions, it also forms part of the fabric of social and political relationships. This endogenous character means that conflict may be engendered more by changes in the pattern of corruption than by the existence of corruption itself. Such changes, frequently associated with domestic or external shocks, can lead to armed conflict as increasingly violent forms of competitive corruption between factions ‘fuel war’ by rewarding belligerents. Controversially, ‘buying-off’ belligerents can facilitate a transition to peace; but ‘sticks’ such as economic sanctions, rather than ‘carrots’, have dominated international conflict resolution instruments. While ‘buying peace’ can present a short-term solution, the key challenge for peace-building initiatives and fiscal reforms is to shift individual incentives and rewards away from the competition for immediate corrupt gains. This may be facilitated by placing public revenues under international supervision during peace processes. Copyright # 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effects of corruption are evident. The fundamental question, however, is whether the problem is corruption or politics. That is, what would be the impact on the political structure in a particular country if anti-corruption efforts were to be pursued independently of their environment? Can corruption be rooted out without a change toward a legitimate political process? If the arguments in this paper are correct, elimination of corruption in some instances could lead to anarchy rather than efficiency since it destabilizes predatory dictatorship and hastens the path towards internal revolt. ANTI-CORRUPTION PROGRAMS INCREASE INSTABILITY IN POST-CONFLICT SOCIETIES Mushtaq H. Khan, Department of Economics, University of London, 1998, European Journal of Development Research, June, 10 (1): 15-39, [http://mercury.soas.ac.uk/users/mk17/Docs/Corruption%20EJDR.pdf] It may be utopian to believe that the transition to capitalism can be entirely just. Yet unless the transition process is widely perceived to be just, it is difficult for it to be organised in a legally regulated way in an open polity. External pressure to tackle corruption may help development only if such pressure contributes to the legitimisation of the processes through which capitalism is being created. On the other hand, it is very likely that anti-corruption strategies may sometimes make the problem of organising internal political stability more difficult during processes of capitalist transition which could in turn prolong instability and the perpetuation of underdevelopment. The issue of corruption thus brings to the fore the limits of attempts to establish high standards of justice in the transition to capitalism in the absence of any global political commitment to equitably share the costs of structural change.
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