Corruption Kills: Over 40,000 Dead in Turkey

“You shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe will blind the clear-sighted and corrupt the words of the righteous.” —Exodus: 23:8

From the Bible’s ancient warning to this month’s horrific news, human inclination towards greed and corruption undermines social trust and cohesion. Corruption has played a role in the downfall of societies throughout history. And, as we see in the news from Turkey and Syria, corruption kills.

Corruption is a complex phenomenon. As my colleague on these pages, Susan Peterson, points out, it is a multifactorial issue with psychological aspects, including rationalization and intimidation. It also involves systemic, social and cultural legal aspects, such as leadership, social stigma, and enforcement. In his book, The Social Psychology of Corruption, researcher Nils Kobis, Ph.D., of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, models the decision to engage in corruption as a social dilemma. According to Kobis, there are two types of corruption dilemmas: individual (embezzlement) and interpersonal corruption (bribery), both entailing social psychological mechanisms.

And when corruption becomes business-as-usual, it represents a profound moral failure that blinds those who take the bribes themselves and others who prefer to look away.

When that happens, and the system is corrupted, the rule of law is disrespected and weakened. Power and wealth devolve into a small group. Those left out of the circle of corruption are denied rights and full participation. They feel cheated and powerless, which–argues Transparency International, an international organization that measures and tracks corruption – can lead to violent conflict.

Corruption is a characteristic of failed states. But failed states do not have a monopoly on it. Corruption is not just someone else's problem. It is likely a problem where you and I live, too. Transparency International’s recent annual report was not very encouraging. The scores of 31 countries declined, including Canada and the United Kingdom.

According to the report, the entire region of the Middle East and Africa is moving dangerously in the wrong direction. A Transparency International regional advisor, Kinda Hattar, says, “Political corruption has become endemic across the Arab region. Governments are consolidating control, restricting basic rights and freedoms, agitating civil unrest.”

Right now, while the earthquake’s dead are still unburied, and its survivors still unhoused, Turkish officials are beginning to go after corrupt companies whose poorly built buildings collapsed in the earthquake. They've arrested contractors, but so far, no officials who would've had to approve the construction and probably accepted bribes in exchange for their approval.