Corruption and politics seem to come together in many discussions. This article attempts to shed some light on whether corruption and politics are innately connected.

How does corruption happen?

Corruption does not only happen in politics. Because politics is a public matter and concerns everyone, many people are interested in learning whatever happens outside the law. But corruption is a trait in someone’s mind, not a characteristic of politicians. 

A business owner, an employee, or even a partner can be corrupt. But what exactly do we mean by corruption? In short, as a society, we have set a few rules and directions we are supposed to follow in our interactions with each other. When someone behaves outside these laws, they are corrupt. 

But what pushes this person to be corrupt in the first place? No one wants to receive a state punishment nor desires to face the wrath of society. But their ambition make come in the way. Aspirations of money, power, and lust may become priorities and lead someone to corruption.

Do corruption and politics always come together?

You may see corruption everywhere. But do you always see it when you look at politics? To answer that, let us shortly define the notion of politics. In its essence, politics is the process of creating policies. These policies aim to manage all human relationships, as complex as they can get.

If you ever find your way in a parliament or political entity house, you will see that considerable effort concerns lobbying. Often more than the effort invested in policy-making itself. If corruption ever happens in politics, it starts with lobbying, in one form or another. 

Specific parties may benefit more from one policy and less from another. Similar with other parties. When interests collide, the party with more influence usually has the upper hand. If this influential party shares the interests of the public majority, democracy works at its best. If not, there is room for corruption. 

How can we reduce corruption in politics

Not every policy-making process is corrupt. There are indeed cases of corruption in politics. Yet, the main reason one becomes a politician is an aspiration to create a better world for everyone. Corruption may or may not happen, depending on various factors. 

One way to reduce corruption is to demand more transparency from the policy-making process. If possible, even enable participation in policy-making for every citizen, with the help of technology. But these are all things that need to happen at the macro level. 

Can you do something now to reduce corruption in politics? Thankfully there is. Politics today depend on media to safeguard it from corruption. The more transparent and independent the media are, the less room for corruption. So one thing you can do individually is to locate and support independent media in any way possible.

Takeaway

• Aspirations of money, power, and lust may become priorities and lead someone to corruption.
• If corruption ever happens in politics, it starts with lobbying, in one form or another. 
• One thing you can do to help reduce corruption is to locate and support independent media.