Demographic, Cultural and Wealth Conditions for Corruption in Latin America
Adrian Toma
Abstract. Unrefined control mechanisms developed by civil society, compared with the long exerted dominance of economically and racial selected ruling class, could be one reason for strong apprehension toward corruptive behavior in Latin America. Historically, the ”have ones” shaped the law enforcement agencies and judicial system in their own interest. By contrast, human rights activists, liberal ”think-tanks”, uncontrolled media a.s.o. are ”raraavis” in terms of public impact. Bad social politics are the second reason, because they had created a favourable environment for a perpetual high percentage of poor population. This encourages educational, social and political inequity, maintaining the dominant role played by professionals that represent control and tradition in society (military, land owners and the clerics), not innovation, dialogue and added value (middle-class, experts and NGOs).The third reason is the politically driven anticorruption campaign. Its distorted language keeps captive large chunks of population, especially poor urban inhabitants. They are manipulated to validate the judicial extraction from power hubs applied for notorious political and economic leaders and their replacement with similar characters (who control and enforce those processes). Cultural acceptance for other forms of corruption than bribery and the confusion determined by upper class propaganda between lower class handicaps caused by economic constraints and a supposed ”inherited corruption” represent another category circumstances that favors dishonest behavior.The fifth cause: weak or inexistent control of central and legal institutions on large parts of national territory, especially in the countryside (caused by war, civil unrest, lack of interest from administrative apparatus etc.). It consolidates people`s option for alternative, illegal solutions for their daily problems.
Keywords: police corruption, jeitinho, Conselho Nacional de Justica, Corruption Perception Index (CPI)