Does Corruption Lead to Poverty?

Does corruption lead to poverty?

Frederick Douglass once said, “Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress them, neither persons nor property will be safe.” In Africa, poverty is the major cause of social tensions and threatens to divide a nation because of the issue of inequalities. This can happen when wealth in a country is poorly distributed among its citizens. In 2010, 414 million people were considered to be living in extreme cases of poverty across Africa (Packtor). Over the past few years, Africa has been struggling with the important issue of poverty and it is important to inform everyone of their corrupted government.

Corruption leads to higher poverty rates, as it allows for people with political power to live a lavish life while millions of Africans are deprived of their basic needs. Typically, most Africans earn the equivalent of a $1.25 in US dollars per day (Jaitner). This is typically not enough money to pay for food, clean water, clothing which is needed to live a healthy life. Poverties representative, Dario Barrebi states that, “Well-connected people don't have to pay the same taxes as everyone else; policemen and other junior officials seeking small bribes don't dare solicit cash from them. At the end of the day it is the poor and the weak who face the true brunt of corruption” (Barrebi). It is known that most Africans are separated by economic inequalities in which some have to pay bribes in order to pay for taxes. Residents of Africa are now having to bribe what little money they earned to attain little to nothing. So, not only are people living in poverty subjected to a lack of necessities, but they pay taxes that the rich don’t have to pay.

A corrupt government implies an imbalance in society, which leads to more poverty because powerful politicians oppress the poor. An advocate for rights in Africa shares her opinion that, “Corruption occurs in Africa when the governments do not use money responsibly and instead use it for themselves has the power to break trust between the government and its people in ensuring that money is used responsibly” (Wang). Therefore, proof that there is a lack of trust in the government and the people of Africa no longer feel protected under new restrictive laws. Impoverished people are now left feeling powerless when trying to stand up against a corrupt official or government because rich people are able to use their connections to avoid paying bribes (Veselinovic). Clearly, the government of Africa’s next step is to improve efficiency of providing basic necessities for impoverished people in Africa.

If changes are not made to the justice system, poverty and corruption combine to force people to make impossible choices like “Do I buy food for my family today or do I pay a bribe to get treated at the clinic?” (Hanson). The goal is to inform others about the issue and create equality between the government and all people of Africa. Currently, a team in Africa is trying to implement ways to give poor people more of a voice. There is a program in Africa that enables those who don’t have a voice to speak out and create dialogue between their government and other community members (Jaitner). Hopefully, by doing so, Africans no longer fear the harsh reality of poverty and the struggle to fight against a corrupt government. 

Works Cited:

Barrebi, Dario. "Effects of Poverty on Society: Why We Should All Care." Poverties.org. Poverties, May 2013. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.

Hanson, Stephanie. "Corruption in Sub-Saharan Africa." Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations, 06 Aug. 2009. Web. 10 Mar. 2016.

Jaitner, Annette. "Poverty and Corruption in Africa." Projects and Activities -. Transparency, Web. 10 Mar. 2016.

Packtor, Jordanna. "10 Poverty in Africa Facts - The Borgen Project." The Borgen Project RSS2. The Borgen Project, 07 Nov. 2014. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.

Veselinovic, Milena. "Why Corruption Is Holding Africa Back." CNN. Cable News Network, 8 Jan. 2016. Web. 05 Mar. 2016.

Wang, Melissa. "OurSpeeches: Share with the World." CAUSES OF POVERTY IN AFRICA. OurSpeeches, 2011.