If

a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key
societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher.











- A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Vol. III, No. 36, 18 September 2015

Corruption as an Embedded Character: We alone are responsible

Corruption in a society or a country is attributable to the irrational behaviour of majority of individuals in that
society. The corruption (dishonesty, immorality or cheating) can be in the realms of governance, financial
transactions, social behavior, personal relationships or in our relations within or outside our national borders. Time
and money are two tangible resources impinging on our rational behavior. Societies perceived to be the most
corrupt, have a way of self serving these resources. Greed dictates our endeavours, be it a politician, bureaucrat,
businessman, professor, a student or any ordinary citizen.

The problem is individual - individuals make a society which in turn is the basis of a nation. Nearly all cultures and
social groupings have a religious or spiritual base, though religion itself is irrational. There is no nation-state, which
exists on the basis of rationality; even China has its own religiosity. In all religions, individual exchanges his belief,
faith, religiosity or worship for purification of his/her soul. It is a transaction and culminates in nearly bribing the God
(reminds one of Oh My God. Quid pro quo is offered at a spiritual level and hence the thought, if I can walk up to
the confession box, or say my namaz regularly, or offer coconut and flowers in a temple, or even better take dip in
holy pond or river, my sins will be washed away and I can start all over again. All the mafioso, jihadis, suicide
bombers or fanatics were or are highly religious. In fact the religion was and is used as a tool to drill in irrationality.
Nina Mazar in The Dishonesty of Honest People (2008) had dissected fudge factor. People carry on being dishonest
by evaluating cost and benefit to themselves. People delude themselves into believing that they are honest most of
the time hence a little bit of dishonesty will do no harm. As the author points out, there is a dilemma of being honest
as a self concept and indulging in cheating as a material benefit - a type of balance being maintained here between
social and monetary aspects. In religious context, this translates into being religious yet being a cheat or corrupt. In
India, during the Maha Kumbh in February 2014, over 80 million pilgrims took a dip in holy Ganges. In their minds,
they created a self concept of being cleansed by the holy water. Amongst them were politicians of all hues, business
people involved in frauds and common citizens working for their own self-interests at the cost of society and nation-
state. Zhong & Liljenquist (2006) have stated this aptly in 'Macbeth Effect', the type of impact that religious cleansing
has. The authors also explain relationship between bodily and moral purities. The rituals like bathing in Ganges on a
specific day, is an attempt to moral purification, a type of 'washing away your sins'. This contradicts with the social
requirement of a rational behaviour which seeks for every individual to be honest, moral and ethical. Authors point
out that there is a physiological, psychological and neurological overlap in physical and moral impurity, and therefore
physical cleansing is surrogate to moral cleansing.

Gino (2009) cite examples of a few bad apples in a basket and that ridding them could be an easy way out to stem
the corruption tide. But if the society at large is working on dishonest principles and fooling one another, it becomes
a character. There is a 'justified ethicality' which delves in lying, repercussions and why people indulge in unethical
behaviour. Again it is an individual who is dishonest or corrupt for the sake of his/her economic gain. The study
concludes that individuals draw a line based on their perceived gain and justification about being dishonest.
Therefore, the basic building block of corruption is irrational individual and irrationality must be the target of
education or learning.

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Written by: - Dr. K.K.Sharma, Professor & HOD - CBS

www.chitkara.edu.in

Disclaimer: This Newsletter is prepared to enhance awareness and for information only. The
information is taken from sources believed to be reliable but is not guaranteed by Chitkara
Business School as to its accuracy. Chitkara Business School will not be responsible for any
interpretations, opinions generated or decisions taken by readers.