Corruption

I. Definition

Corruption means bribery, venality(продажность), moral decay of state power, when its representatives use official position to obtain material benefits for themselves and their immediate environment.

Types of corruption

1. Pretty Corruption: This type of corruption takes place on a small scale like accepting gifts, improper favors, which can be used for personal connections to influence or manipulate government procedures. This type of corruption is done by Junior or mid-level officers.

2. Grand Corruption: This type of corruption found at the high levels of government that include political, legal and economic systems or in other ways we can say that the bribery, money laundering, tax evasion, misappropriation, self-dealing and cronyism at high levels of corporations and government leaders.

3. Systemic Corruption: Corruption which is due to the weaknesses of a system or process. In this corruption, the main cause is low pay under pressure job, lack of transparency, discretionary, conflicting incentives and monopolistic authority which causes bribery, extortion.

Forms of corruption

Grand corruption

· bribes to reduce the taxes paid to a government

· payoffs to police in order to look the other way

· bribes to customs agents to overlook an illegal import

· collusion among contractors to obtain high procurement prices

· selling international food relief supplies for profit

Systematic corruption

· bribery and graft (extortion and kickbacks)

· kleptocracy (stealing and privatizing public funds)

· misappropriation (forgery, embezzlement, misuse of public funds)

· nonperformance of duties (cronyism)

· influence peddling (favor brokering and conflict of interest)

· acceptance of improper gifts (" speed" money)

· protecting maladministration (cover-ups and perjury)

· abuse of power (intimidation and torture)

· manipulation of regulations (bias and favoritism)

· electoral malpractice (vote buying and election rigging)

· rent seeking (charging after creating artificial shortages)

· clientelism and patronage (favors in exchange for support)

· illegal campaign contributions (gifts to influence policy)

Reasons of corruption

Corruption is inherent in all countries, so it is almost impossible to completely destroy it. There is an opportunity to fight it effectively as long as the institutions of power are not hurt. Statistics of corruption in Russia shows that its growth contributes to:

· low level of development of the country's economy;

· lack of political competition;

· imperfect legislation and judicial system;

· large income gap between different population groups;

· weakness or lack of public institutions;

· impunity(безнаказанность) for high-level officials.

II. History of corruption birth and development in Russia

Nowadays, the problem of corruptionin Russia is undoubtedly relevant.

In order to effectively fight corruption, it is necessary to know its roots and characteristics of its origin.

Bribes appeared in ancient Russia. In the 9th century, the Old Russian state borrowed a system called “feeding”, which was a special way of keeping officials at the expense of the local population. The prince sent deputies and other service people to the cities and parish. The population was obliged to support them –to “feed” during the entire period of service, which naturally led to bribes. In general, this system of maintaining officials was completely ineffective.

In the XV century, corruption in Russia became systemic. The official performed some kind of action directly related to his duties for the offering; this phenomenon was called “mzdoimstvo” (“bribery”).

Of course, the emerged negative social phenomenon gave rise to the need to combat it by the state. In 1561, the Court of Justice was introduced by Ivan the Terrible, which imposed sanctions for taking bribes by judicial officials. Significant changes in the prevention of corruption were undertaken by Peter the Great. In December 1714, a decree was issued on the prohibition of bribes and promises, which provided for the death penalty for corruption.

However, during the reign of Catherine II, the death penalty was abolished, resulting in increased corruption. In 1845, with the direct support of Alexander III, the “Code of Criminal and Correctional Penalties” was adopted, in which new rules were introduced for the first time, establishing responsibility for bribery, and providing for imprisonment as a punishment for this illegal act.

Corruption reached its heyday in the last years of the reign of Nicholas II, when the highest posts in his government were sold and bought. Attempts to toughen the fight against corruption in the period 1911-1916 were caused by the transformation of corruption into a well-functioning mobilized opposition political organization.

During the period of building a socialist state, it was also not possible to get rid of bribe takers. It should be noted that even under the totalitarian regime of I. V. Stalin, corruption was not completely exterminated, although his rule was the least corrupt. Corruption gained its widespread distribution in the USSR in 1970-1980. This negative phenomenon has affected almost all state and party bodies and institutions.

Thus, based on the presented historical data, we can conclude that the prerequisites for the development of corruption in modern Russia originated in ancient times and were formed throughout the entire period of its development.

Currently, international ratings show that the level of corruption in Russia is unacceptably high. According to the National Anti-Corruption Committee, the volume of corruption in the country by 2010 in monetary terms varies from 240 to 300 billion dollars.

It should be noted that in recent years the number of measures taken by the Russian state to eliminate corruption has increased, but, unfortunately, it has not been possible to achieve a significant effect in anti-corruption activities.

III. Influence of corruption on the economy of Russia

IV. Comparison of Russia with other countries

In 2017Russia moved to 131 out of 176 countries in the statistics of corruption level.

In 2017, the following countries have the lowest level of corruption: Denmark and New Zealand (the leaders of the rating with the lowest level of corruption), Finland, Sweden, Switzerland. Also in the top ten were: Norway, Singapore, the Netherlands, Canada and the UK.

Countries with the highest level of corruption: Somalia (anti-leader for several years), South Sudan, North Korea, Syria and Yemen.

Belarus is in 77place, Ukraine – 132, Kazakhstan is in 129.

It is curious that Georgia, after the reforms of President Saakashvili, has dramatically lowered the level of corruption in the country, and now ranks 42nd, overtaking countries such as Latvia, the Czech Republic, South Korea and Italy. It is a very good indicator, given that neighboring Azerbaijan is on the 120th place, and Armenia is on the 110th.

China is conducting an anticorruption policy «the killing of tigers and flies» and it helped this country to move to 80 place.

The USA have not a very high coefficient of corruption level, for that reason this country takes 17 place in the statistics of the corruption level. The USA overtake Japan and shift it to the 19 place.

Uruguay ranks 20th in the ranking, thus having the lowest level of corruption not only in Latin America, but also ahead of many European countries.

As you can see, the level of corruption in Asian countries varies, look at Japan and China. It was still noticed in 19 centuries by captain Krusenstern while his world trip. In Japan, Chukovsky, the author of the work of art «CaptainKrusenstern», says there wasn`t even a hint of the phenomenon of corruption – the Japanese emperor refused to captain Krusenstern to go to the city and didn`t accept gifts of the Russian emperor, because Japan wasn`t as rich as Russia, so that the emperor of Japan couldn`t give equivalent gifts to the Russian emperor. In China we can watch absolutely opposite situation –the head of power in China and his immediate environment made profit on impoverished inhabitants of China and they force captain Krusenstern to buy a large amount of a certain product in order to enable him to stop his board in Canton`s.

Concerning corruption in Russia, it was also described by Chukovskiy in his book. Here it is that he said in his book. During the reign of Paul I Krusenstern created a project about world voyage, he made attempts to pursue Russian emperor to approve the project of the world voyage, but it was rejected several times and only when Alexander I became an emperor Krusenstern was able to realize his ambitions, he suggest the emperor to be the participant of the project and promised him that he would benefit from it very much, it was like bribe, which enabled Krusenstern to set off to a world trip.

Corruption also can be traced in Russian America, but it concerns American people, not Russian, American sailors pursued injuns(Kotlean) that they will buy Russian furs from injuns on the condition of occupying and ruining the Russian fortress Arkhangelsk where all these furs were kept.

V. Actions of the state to fight with corruption

VI. Solutions to the problem.

In general, in order to increase the effectiveness of anti-corruption policies, the following measures must be taken, which will ensure its overcoming:

• Analysis of the causes of corruption and their specifics at this stage;

• Defining strategies and tactics to combat corruption;

• Strengthening control by supervisory authorities over the implementation of laws and official duties by officials;

• Creation of an independent anti-corruption chamber;

• Transition from the declaration of income of state and municipal employees to the declaration of their expenses;

• Conduct open trials against persons who have committed a corruption offense;

• Establishment as a sanction for corruption crimes confiscation of property and compensation of material damage caused to the state;

• Using the help of various civil society institutions;

• Following the law, not by-laws.

Thus, it should be noted that the methods of anti-corruption policy of the state should be aimed not only at preventing, but also at identifying the newly created corruption manifestations. This means that the improvement of activities aimed at fighting corruption should be supported by comprehensive measures.

Resources:

http: //stattur. ru/journal/20170617/

https: //vawilon. ru/statistika-korruptsii-v-mire/

http: //missionpsc. com/corruption-types-and-causes/

Андреев А. Российская государственность в терминах: IX- начало XX века // А. Андреев. — М.: Крафт, 2001.

Григорьева Е. О., Петренко Н. И История Российской коррупции. // Марийский юридический вестник, 2015. №1(12).

Шедий М. В. Коррупция в современной России: проблемы противодействия. // М. В. Шедий. — «Известия Тульского государственного университета. », 2011 №2.

http: //novaum. ru/public/p82

«Captain Krusenstern»NikolayChukovsky

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