The effects of corruption
Corruption is one of the significant issues that affect various countries at a global level. The U.S is currently ranked as the 22nd least corrupt country, which is a drop from the 18th least corrupt depicting the increased rate of corruption in the U.S. The effects of corruption to the citizens in the U.S. are widespread. However, the primary impact of corruption is to the growth of the economy as leaders who place their interests before the interest of the society is most likely to disadvantage members of the society. This leads to cases of embezzlement of public funds by people who are in authority hence disadvantaging the citizens of the country.
The effects of corruption spread out to the private sectors where various organizations have been rendered bankrupt due to leadership by greedy and corrupt leaders who misuse the resources of the organization for their gain. Corruption hinders justice and fairness within the society as people are favored based on what they can offer. This makes the poor citizen miss out on opportunities that are offered to other people who are less qualified based on what they have to offer in return.
Personally, as a youth, corruption has made it difficult for me to access various opportunities, such as job opportunities, as most officials are likely to accept bribes in exchange for the opportunities. Corrupt officials in the government are also bound to offer out government tenders to unqualified people, which results in the poor provision of services to the citizens. At the police institution, corruption presents many dire consequences as the criminals are most likely to bribe the policemen and walk free hence leading to the increase in crime rate and exposing the citizens from significant harm from the criminals who may take advantage of the corrupt police officers to get away with various crimes.
Social action is one of the most meaningful and effective solutions to most of the social problems that affect society. Corruption does not only affect people at an individual level, but the entire society is most likely to suffer as a result of corruption. It is, therefore, necessary to tackle corruption as a unit through protests and peaceful demonstrations that would enable the representatives of the people to take more stern measures by creating legislation that can end corruption in various institutions. However, people can also take the personal initiative by avoiding to indulge in corrupt dealings. Through a joint effort between the government and the citizens, corruption can be eradicated from society.