Analysis of Corruption and Collective Action: A Comprehensive Report

This report delves into the critical issues of corruption and collective action, examining the subject through the lens of a case study involving Marquette and Peiffer. The analysis begins by defining corruption as a form of dishonesty and criminal activity, often viewed as a collective action problem. It explores the application of principal-agent theory to understand the impact of corruption on economic growth and public services, highlighting issues such as bribery, embezzlement, and the role of anti-corruption agencies. The report then critically evaluates the detrimental effects of corruption, including problems in recruitment patterns, coordination issues, and political corruption such as bribery and graft, while also touching upon corruption in education systems. The conclusion emphasizes the significant impact of corruption and the effectiveness of strategies like the principal-agent theory and collective action in addressing it, referencing examples from the UK and other countries.

Corruption and collective
Action

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Analysing and describing the position........................................................................................1
Critically evaluating the issue.....................................................................................................2
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Corruption is one the highly effective criminal activity that affect the society as well as
country and to avoid this, there are many anti- corruption agencies are made. In the same way,
the report is also based upon the case study of Marquette and Peiffer corruption and Collective
action. The report main aim is to in which the report will analyse and describe the position and
then critically evaluate the issues as well.
Analysing and describing the position
Corruption is describe as a form of dishonesty and some criminal activity which is
undertaken by the person or an organization with a position of an authority. While on the other
side, it has been analysed that sometimes corruption should be viewed as a problem of collective
action. Further it has been analysed that ascendence of principal- agent theory in corruption
shows that Corruption creates impact upon the economic growth and it also helps to understand
corruption. The theory is also has two assumption: principal and agents. For instance, a political
leader is consider as a principal as they are asked to monitor an agents to keep them accountable.
Without the skill to perfectly monitor their action, the agents use their discretion over resources
when the opportunity arises. Next, problem of corruption is occur when public officials where
political leaders are agents and public is principal. In this situation, as a agents, the public
officials are able to abuse their offices and liberty over the public services in order to secure the
private rents from members (Peiffer and Walton, 2019). There are many methods, through which
the corruption is occurred such that bribery and embezzlement and these are some common
methods which are found in many countries and to overcome this, government also make many
strategies such as anti- corruption.
Apart from this, the principle- agent approach, that basically emphasizes rational choice
of an individuals and … also argued that although principals wants agents in order to set goals,
its monitoring is expensive and while on the other side, agents are also wants to pursue the stand
of benefits (Peiffer and Marquette, 2015). It has been analysed that In UK, the corruption level is
quite low and to remove this, there are various agencies hired such as Anti- corruption agencies
that helps to remove it in society as well from the countries. It is so because the companies
basically follows the ethical standards. In addition to this, the implementation and efficiency of
an anti- corruption intervention are also tied to the institutional capacity of every setting. But on
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the other side, in the developed countries it has been analysed that such policies have to struggle
with a weak institutional environment and an unreliable justice system as well.
While on the other side, collective action problem occur when if the interest of the group
is to act collectively towards a common goal but on the other side, group members do not do so
instead, they find it in their individual interest to not contribute and also make sure that the
collective benefits is not realised to their fullest potential (Marquette and Peiffer, 2015). Apart
from this, the nature of corruption is quite difficult challenge that anti- corruption efforts also
face in changing levels of distrust in a society. On the other side, corruption is also lead to
bankrupting of the state and also reduce the ability in order to provide public services effectively.
For instance, corruption as a collective initiatives are integrity pacts and some anti- corruption
declaration as well. In present era, the treatment of collective action theory in a corruption may
also leads a sense that a collective action tends to equal inclusive community engagement and
working with a civil society in order to build a trust in a society etc.
Critically evaluating the issue
From the above it has been analysed that corruption is one of the most affecting and
serious issues in every country. This also leads to many issues and some of them are as
mentioned below
One the biggest issue which is faced in companies such that in the recruitment pattern,
the company are using clientelistic networking rather than ranking. This is consider the biggest
issue on the the country (Jancsics, 2018). Due to adopting this, the company are not able to find
the right person for the growth of a company and as a result, it also leads to raise the level of
corruption. Further it has been critically evaluated that due to this the people are aggressive and
as a result, it also creates negative impact upon the company because the recruitment pattern are
not don in open manner and there is no assurance whether the recruiting person is able to
understand their responsibilities and they posses those skills or not. It has been analysed that due
to wrong recruitment pattern follow in many countries, the production level also affected due to
following this, many of the other people are also encourages to do so as it helps to save the cost
of the company.
Apart from this, due to corruption, another issues arises is coordination issues which do
not arises spontaneously but it is a function of multitude of actors involved. For instance, from
the above example, it has been critically evaluated that due t wrong recruitment pattern, many
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unskilled workers are entered into a company and this also leads to arise another issue i.e.
coordination issue and this further leads to increase the level of corruption (de Oliveira and et.al.,
2019).
In addition to this, in political institution, it has been analysed that bribery is the most
common form of corruption in a country because it has been analysed people use this form of
corruption in order to complete their work but on the other side, they did not understand it is not
right. For instance from the article of Marquette and Peiffer, it has been analysed that
Transparency International's Integrity Pacts which are an Archetypal example of a theory based
collective action. This further involve some written agreement between the government and
private bribers as well. It has been analysed that bringing all together in order to make formal
agreement, these exercise also acknowledge the most precious risk for a corruption which also
lies in the collective dynamics.
It has been critically evaluated that political corruption is an abuse of public power, office
and some resources which are used by elected government by offering bribes and extortion. Not
only this, it can also be take in the form of office holders and it maintain themselves in an office
by purchasing different votes which are further use the taxpayers money (Williams and Dupuy,
2017). Apart from this, it has been analysed that the political act of Graft that is one of the well
known and global form of political corruption, that is further unscrupulous and illegal use of
some authority as well. This is all done for persona gain and when the funds are received for
public projects, they generally use those funds into their personal use and further misdirect it in
order to maximize the benefits for their private interest only. Thus it has been cleared that the
corruption is not only fixed at one place but it is reach with different level such that it is in
education system, judicial corruption, police corruption etc.
The corruption is also in education system such that in some developed counties such as
Russia and Ukraine, the introduction of standardized computer graded test are largely failed and
this also affect the economic growth as well (Carson and Prado, 2016). In addition to this, it has
been critically evaluated that in US and UK, there is significant amount of fraud has been found
and even during the time of education corruption, the people are nit even aware and it leads to
creates negative impact upon the country growth as well. Thus, it has been analysed that the
issues of a corruption are at different scales and it also ranges from small to higher. From this
article it has been cleared that both corruption and crime are endemic sociological occurrence
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that also appear with some regular frequency and at different proportion as well. On the other
side, government also take some initiatives in order to deal with it or decrease the level as well.
CONCLUSION
By summing up above report it has been concluded that corruption is one of the biggest
issue in every country and through this report it had been concluded that by using principal-
agent theory and collective action, the corruption is easily described and in UK, though the
companies are followed ethics of standard, therefore, the position of the corruption Jancsics, D.,
2018is not as high as other countries. Further the report also concluded variety of issues of a
corruption such as in education system, political institution, companies with their recruitment
pattern etc. and to overcome or decrease the level of corruption, government make different
strategies such as anti- corruption agencies.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Carson, L. D. and Prado, M. M., 2016. Using institutional multiplicity to address corruption as a
collective action problem: Lessons from the Brazilian case. The Quarterly Review of
Economics and Finance. 62. pp.56-65.
de Oliveira, R.K. and et.al., 2019. Curbing Corruption in Brazilian Environmental Governance:
A Collective Action and Problem-solving Approach. In Corporate Social Responsibility in
Brazil (pp. 213-240). Springer, Cham.
Jancsics, D., 2018. Corruption as Resource Transfer: An Interdisciplinary Synthesis. Public
Administration Review.
Marquette, H. and Peiffer, C., 2015, March. Collective action and systemic corruption. In ECPR
Joint Sessions of Workshops, University of Warsaw (Vol. 29).
Marquette, H. and Peiffer, C., 2015. Corruption and collective action. DLP Research Paper.
Peiffer, C. and Marquette, H., 2015. Theoretical (Mis) understanding? Applying principal-agent
and collective action theories to the problem of corruption in systemically corrupt
countries. Ethics in public policy and management: a global research companion, pp.109-
126.
Peiffer, C. and Walton, G., 2019. Overcoming collective action problems through anti-
corruption messages. Development Policy Centre Discussion Paper, (77).
Williams, A. and Dupuy, K., 2017. Deciding over nature: Corruption and environmental impact
assessments. Environmental Impact Assessment Review. 65. pp.118-124.
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