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Adrean Algarin

Mrs. Shumate

English II

15 May 2017

The Constitution: Reflection of a Changing Nation

Many Americans are unaware of what goes on in government facilities. There is more

government corruption in the US than in the top 10 major states. Many American politicians are

bribed by the rich; as a result, politicians will reduce taxes on the rich. The government has made

systems such as the three branches of government to help reduce corruption; meanwhile,

government corruption is at its highest. The separation of powers does not help reduce

government corruption. The most effective way to stop corruption is if we as citizens work as a

whole.

There is a crazy amount of corruption in todays government. Most people are unaware

that anything is wrong and continue to live without knowledge that the government is one of the

biggest problems in todays society. Power and choice represent two fundamental forces that

govern human behavior (Inesi). Many government officials choose power over choice. This

author believes that power and choice are somehow connected and substitutional (Inesi).

Government officials today have been corrupt for a very long time, not just in the United States

but in other governments and parliaments elsewhere. For example, a series of dramatic events

occurred in Vanuatu in late 2015 involving the conviction of 15 MPs for bribery, purported

pardons given by the acting president and a contested dissolution of parliament (Forsyth and
Batley). This quote shows the significance of this event from a political and legal perspective.

Over 30% of Vanuatus parliament was convicted in trial. Due to this

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preceding many governments, as well as citizens, are taking extra precaution in exercising new

laws to prevent this from happening again.

There are many ways to stop corruption. One specific group of people went the extra mile

to inform citizens that corruption is a serious deal. The study Corruption across Government

Occupations: Cross-National Survey Evidence uses survey data on cross-national corruption to

examine determinants of corruption. The key contribution is in examining differences in

corruption across various government occupations. This paper talks about different studies they

have conducted on different parts of the government and their conclusion is that they found

significant differences in corruption across these occupations and factors driving overall corrupt

activity, including personal attributes of bribe givers, macroeconomic and institutional factors,

and these factors do not necessarily exert similar influences across all government occupations

(Goel et al.). It also talks about how when citizens are all concerned about the same thing, it can

often lead into change. Another concerned citizen conducted the same theory. When citizens

act in concert, their demands are credible and not easily discounted by governments, which

should be more likely to respond (Yap). This article tells me that we as citizens need to work

together to overcome government corruption-- not just corruption, but any problem that concerns

all of us.

In conclusion, by working together, we can act against government corruption. We as

citizens can fight government corruption if we work as a whole.

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Works Cited

Forsyth, Miranda and James Batley. "What the Political Corruption Scandal of 2015

Reveals about Checks and Balances in Vanuatu Governance." Journal of Pacific

History, vol. 51, no. 3, Sept. 2016, pp. 255-277. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1080/00223344.2016.1214247

Goel, Rajeev K., et al. "Corruption across Government Occupations: Cross-National

Survey Evidence." Journal of International Development, vol. 28, no. 8, Nov. 2016, pp.

1220-1234. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1002/jid.3040.

Inesi, M. Ena, et al. "Power and Choice: Their Dynamic Interplay in Quenching the Thirst

for Personal Control." Psychological Science (0956-7976), vol. 22, no. 8, Aug. 2011, pp.

1042-1048. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/0956797611413936.

Yap, O. Fiona. "When Do Citizens Take Costly Action against Government Corruption?

Evidence from Experiments in Australia, Singapore, and the United States." Journal of

East Asian Studies, vol. 17, no. 1, Mar. 2017, pp. 119-136. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1017/jea.2017.1.