Should Corruption be Studied Quantitatively or Qualitatively?

This essay explores the debate on whether corruption should be studied quantitatively or qualitatively. It discusses the impact of corruption on economic growth and the effectiveness of different research methods. The conclusion suggests that studying corruption qualitatively can provide in-depth insights for developing effective strategies to reduce corruption.

Fundamentals of Politics
Research
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8
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INTRODUCTION
Corruption can be defined as abusing the public office for personal benefits or an illegal
use of public authority and offices for personal benefits. These benefits can be in the form of
finances, political advantages or various social privileges (Bhattacharya, 2017). Corruption can
be caused due to many factors like violating the public norms, harm to the interests of the public
etc. Politics on the other hand, can be referred to as activities that involve making decisions in
groups. Corruption is an issue that can not only impact the overall economic development of a
nation, but also how various local and state agencies function. This report is an essay that is
based on the topic, “Should corruption be studied quantitatively or qualitatively?”.
MAIN BODY
Corruption is referred to as a form wherein a person is dishonest or undertakes a criminal
offense for their personal benefit and gain power. It is considered to be as one of the most
difficult and negative situations for a nation. This is because it can lead to weakening an
economy, acting as a barrier to the overall development of the economy, poverty, inequality etc.
Corruption can take place at any time and any place. It can involve any person like politicians,
public servants, officials of the government, business people etc. In simple words, corruption can
be defined as the misuse of public power for own gain. It usually takes place when major events
within an economy involve large amount of money and different people. Countries with a high
level of corruption, usually find it difficult to work in an efficient manner and enhance their
overall economic growth. The levels of corruption are high in markets that are new and
emerging. An economy that is corrupt, has resources that are distributed in efficiently.
Apart from this, corruption is a subject that is increasingly growing across the world and
due to this, the relationship between equality and corruption is also increasing (Chatterje-Doody
and Gillespie, 2020). Corruption has shown to hinder the overall economic growth of a particular
economy and occurs in all countries. It can have an indirect impact on the economic performance
and this is because of impact on the investment, taxation, public expenditure and various other
factors. There have been many studies carried out to understand the impact of corruption on the
economic growth. All of the taxes that have been paid by the citizens goes to waste because of
corruption. It not only impacts the country, but organisations operating there as well as the
citizens. For organisations, corruption can lead to financial loss and influence the overall morale
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of employees negatively. The overall rapport or brand image of the organisation is also affected.
As far as citizens of the country are concerned, they can come across termination of their
employment and criminal charges (Impacts of corruption, 2020). Therefore, it is very important
to adopt appropriate measures to eliminate corruption from a nation.
This can be done by studying the subject effectively in depth and this can be done either
quantitatively or qualitatively. These are the two approaches that can be used to study corruption
as well as its impact within an economy. Quantitative approach can be defined as an
interpretation that is based on the large sets of data and numbers. There are different quantitative
methods that can be used in order to study a particular topic (Cohen, 2019). The methods can
include questionnaires, polls, surveys etc. The results of the analysis can be presented in the form
of numbers, tables and graphs. In order to effectively study corruption quantitatively, graphs and
statistical data available from previous years can be used. This is because they can provide useful
insights about how corruption has had an impact on the nation. Various quantitative techniques
can serve to be as a powerful medium through which informed decisions can be made. Also,
there can be certain areas within an economy, that are complex and difficult to understand. This
is where quantitative methods can play an important role.
The designs of various quantitative methods are either experimental or descriptive in
nature. Descriptive statistics usually involves associations between different variables and since
there can be a lot of variables associated with corruption, this method can be used to come to
important results. The descriptive method of quantitative research aims to collect information
that is quantifiable and can be used in a statistical analysis. This is one of the most commonly
methods as it helps in gaining effective results. Questionnaires are another useful quantifiable
tools that the government of a country can use to collect useful information from the citizens.
This will help them in understanding their view point and the level of corruption prevailing in the
country according to them (Hale, 2017). There are many benefits of using quantitative methods
to study corruption, which can include obtaining results that are accurate and can be obtained
easier as well as faster. Data can either be collected face to face or through digital surveys. They
allow the collection of a large amount of data from a large number of people and analysing the
same to get desired and useful results.
Corruption can also be studied qualitatively, in order to obtain results that are accurate
and help in identifying underlying reasons behind the same. When corruption is studied
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qualitatively, it is important to understand that they have many characteristics. These
characteristics can be used to develop ideas that ultimately determine the findings of the study.
Qualitative methods are defined as different techniques which can include observation of the
participant, individual interviews, observations etc. These methods can help in understanding the
experiences of citizens of the nation during corruption (Karpf, 2017). Not only this, they can also
provide useful insights about how has corruption affected the country on the whole. Qualitative
methods can also help in exploring the interactions among different people as well as processes.
Focus groups, analysing different documents as well as conversations are also important
qualitative methods. Secondary research can be conducted in order to ensure that the data which
is collected is useful and provides desired results. Qualitative methods are important because
they can provide detail about the attitudes and behaviours of people like politicians etc.
In the recent years, the community of politicians has been increasing and it has become
very important to understand the same. This can be done by studying it and the impact it can
have on the overall growth of the economy. Various quantitative as well as qualitative studies
have been conducted in order to get an understanding about the concept of corruption, its causes
as well as its influence on citizens as well as the nation on the whole. And for this, usually
qualitative methods are used. There are many reasons behind doing so like the data which has
been collected is more useful for practical application as compared to quantitative methods.
Also, since the sample size in research methods is small, the data can be analysed effectively and
useful results can be obtained (Lalancette and Raynauld, 2019). This can significantly help in
understanding the root causes of corruption and how do they act as barriers for the overall
economic development of the country. Both quantitative as well as qualitative methods have
their own benefits and limitations. But, it can be said that corruption should be studied
qualitatively.
This is because while doing so, the researcher does not come across any ideas as well as
findings of the previous studies (Should corruption be studied quantitatively or qualitatively,
2020). This ensures that the results are not generalized and are based on the topic. When
corruption is studied qualitatively, various articles and online journals can also be used to
understand the topic in much more depth. For example, corruption can take place at any stage of
time and at any place. It can cause organisations that are inefficient as well as incompetent and
operate within a country to win various contracts and that too at high costs. It is not always
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national and confined to a country, but can also take place internationally. Corruption has been
seen leading to a low level of morality among the people of a particular company. Also, a
country that is corrupted, has people whose human rights have been affected. Quantitative
methods, on the other hand, can involve using questionnaires (Leese and Wittendorp, 2017). The
questionnaire can comprise of a series of questions that are related to corruption, its causes and
so on. This will help in gaining useful insights about the level of corruption within the country.
As a result, useful measures can be adopted for eliminating the same as well as making informed
decisions against people who are involved in the same.
Surveys are a method that can be employed in order to study corruption because they can
offer various opportunities in to its consequences. The most important benefit of using this
method is that they allow making important inferences about the population of a particular
country. Also, this measure is more transparent as well as specific as compared to other methods
of collecting data. On the other hand, qualitative methods will allow the researcher to develop
useful insights about any complex situations that may be prevailing within different parts of the
country due to corruption. When qualitative methods are used for studying corruption, problems
can be addressed and solved effectively (Shea and Solis, 2018). Also, there is no potential bias
within the data as it is an open-ended process. For quantitative methods, a questionnaire has
been shown as an example which can be used to collect useful information from a particular
sample of citizens within a country.
Questionnaire
Q.1 Do you think that the government has taken any initiatives in order to eliminate
corruption from the country?
a) Yes
b) No
Q.2 Who, according to you is responsible for corruption?
a) Public
b) Government
c) All of the above
Q.3 Does corruption affect the economic growth of a country adversely?
a) Yes
b) No
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The government of a country can take various initiatives that a researcher can analyse
with the help of qualitative methods. The different qualitative methods can help in making
important decisions, rather than only focussing on the details. Politics is a very vast subject and
therefore, can be studied both quantitatively as well as qualitatively (Wincup, 2017). And
corruption is considered to be one of the major areas of studies when politics is studied on the
whole. Therefore, it can be said that implementing the most relevant and suitable method that
matches the situation of the country can help in providing useful insights about the same. This
will lead to making informed decisions and allowing the government in taking necessary actions
against the same.
Factors that cause corruption, can be political, social, economic and administrative in
nature and it is important to not just adopt specific measures to deal with it. There are different
measures that can be adopted in order to deal with it. But in order to do so, it should be dealt
with effectively. And because politics is a vast area, corruption can prevail and can impact the
overall economic growth of the nation. Therefore, its is important to make sure that necessary
steps are taken to avoid the same (Zimdahl, 2018). Not only this, it also affects the level of trust
citizens have over the country. There are many benefits of using either quantitative or qualitative
methods because they can provide useful insights about the same.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it can be concluded that corruption is basically a negative aspect
wherein a person or group of people make use of the legal authority and public office for their
personal gain. It can also hinder the overall economic development of a nation and lead to a
decline in its overall GDP. Therefore, it is important to study the subject of corruption so as to
make informed decisions. There are two methods of doing so, quantitative as well as qualitative.
Corruption should be studied qualitatively as it provides access to in-depth reasons about the
behaviours as well as attitudes. As a result, more effective strategies can be developed and
implemented to ensure that the level of corruption within the country is reduced.
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REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Bhattacharya, K., 2017. Fundamentals of qualitative research: A practical guide. Taylor &
Francis.
Chatterje-Doody, P. N. and Gillespie, M., 2020. The cultural politics of commemoration: Media
and remembrance of the Russian revolutions of 1917. European Journal of Cultural
Studies. 23(3). pp.305-314.
Cohen, S. D., 2019. Fundamentals of US foreign trade policy: economics, politics, laws, and
issues. Routledge.
Hale, H. E., 2017. Focus on the fundamentals: Reflections on the state of ethnic conflict studies.
Ethnopolitics. 16(1). pp.41-47.
Karpf, D., 2017. Digital politics after Trump. Annals of the International Communication
Association. 41(2). pp.198-207.
Lalancette, M. and Raynauld, V., 2019. The power of political image: Justin Trudeau, Instagram,
and celebrity politics. American Behavioral Scientist. 63(7). pp.888-924.
Leese, M. and Wittendorp, S., 2017. Security/mobility: Politics of movement. Manchester
University Press.
Shea, P. E. and Solis, J. A., 2018. Leaders, Tenure, and the Politics of Sovereign Credit.
International Interactions. 44(2). pp.294-320.
Wincup, E., 2017. Criminological research: Understanding qualitative methods. Sage.
Zimdahl, R. L., 2018. Fundamentals of weed science. Academic press.
Online
Impacts of corruption. 2020. [Online]. Available
through:<https://www.ibac.vic.gov.au/preventing-corruption/corruption-hurts-
everyone>.
Should corruption be studied quantitatively or qualitatively. 2020. [Online]. Available
through:<https://studentshare.org/social-science/1670038-should-corruption-be-studied-
quantitatively-or-qualitatively>.
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