Perspectives on Fraud and Corruption in the Future
Corruption has existed ever since antiquity as one of the worst and, at the same time, most widespread forms of behavior which is inimical to the administration of public affairs when indulged in by public officials and elected representatives. In the las
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duction A definition of corruption that considers corruption in its broadest context is the misuse of power to obtain an illegitimate gain. In this context, the one who has the power (ability to control, give commands and expects to be obeyed, and controls the decision-making process) performs an illegal act to determine the outcome of some financial, political, or personal matter or uses the power to obtain benefits not deserved. As the various nations of the world became a part of the global society, and the amount of international crime increased, the identifying of those types of crimes that should be included as corruption became somewhat problematic. Hertzer (2012, pp. 218–219) acknowledges that a universally recognized definition of corruption does not exist in the European legal and judicial areas. He notes, “The term is used to describe several situations because the traditional designations and terms that differ from one language to another cannot always be reconciled. For example, in the European Union treaties and documents, the English corruption was translated into German as Bestechung although it means bribery in English and fails to cover all aspects of corruption (bribery, patronage, nepotism, misappropriation of common property, illegal financing of political parties and election campaigns).” Hertzer (2012, p. 218) maintains that the determination of corruption should be considered within the context of the nature of the interaction. He states, “In principle, corruption is a situation in which a person who is responsible for performing certain duties pursues improper or unfair advantages for actions or omissions in the duties, or
P. C. Kratcoski Department of Sociology and Justice Studies, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA e-mail: [email protected] M. Edelbacher (*) Academic Council of the United Nations, System Liaison Office Vienna, Vienna, Austria © Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018 P. C. Kratcoski, M. Edelbacher (eds.), Fraud and Corruption, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92333-8_14
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pursues improper or unfair advantages for actions or omissions in the performance of those duties.” The corrupter as well as the person or persons corrupted do not always engage in the activity that constitutes corruption for direct personal gain. For example, political leaders may engage in corruption out of a concern for the welfare of their nation. If the corruption leads to an increase in the country’s security, the leaders probably will benefit indirectly in that the favorable opinion from the citizenry may improve. Corporate leaders may corrupt the heads of the governments through bribery solely for the purpose of enhancing the economic status of the corporate institutions they control and a person in a low-level bureaucratic position may engage in some form of corruption, such as patronage, solely out of friendship. Chambliss (1988, pp. 217–218) after completing in-depth research on the criminal network in Seattle and other
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