There is no special cure that can end all government corruption. However, there are certain actions countries can take to try to curb the potential for corruption. For instance, many social organizations, such as No Labels, are dedicated to fighting government issues. Aside from this, there are several things that citizens can advocate to fight corruption and other issues. Here are six things you can do to fight government corruption.
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End Politician’s Freedom from Punishment
Impunity, or the freedom from punishment, can only be stopped by effective law enforcement that punishes corrupt politicians. A strong legal framework, effective law enforcement groups, and an independent court system are ways that can ensure the corrupt are punished. Citizens can advocate for these systems to ensure that they are installed, and politicians are held accountable for their actions.
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Restructure Public Administration and Management
While many countries have seen public reforms designed to fight corruption, the most effective way to stop corruption is to restructure the public administration and management that deals with finances. For instance, countries can restructure their financial administration so that it is more transparent. This reduces using funds for wasteful purposes and misappropriated resources and allows citizens to comment on their government’s budgeting and other financial tasks. You can advocate for this financial transparency, even if it is only at the local level, to stop government corruption.
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Promote Government Transparency
Along the same lines, the least corrupt governments have promoted transparency, freedom of the press, and easy access to public information. Taking these measures, especially making information easy to access, encourages citizens to become more active with their government and requires that officials listen to the people. You can advocate for transparency in your government to ensure that politicians are always abiding by the law.
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Empower Citizens to Hold Government Accountable
To create a healthy trust between citizens and their government, the people must hold the government accountable and ensure that officials are not corrupt. For instance, community monitoring systems allow citizens to help detect corruption, missing funds and stifled public services. Empowerment could also come from having citizens monitor their local elections and search for any voter fraud. On a broader level, citizen monitoring of election campaigns can ensure that potential politicians get their funds from legitimate sources and prevent campaign fraud. Advocating for and participating in measures like these are ways that you can prevent corruption in your local and national governments.
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Close International Loopholes
If access to the international financial system is closed, corrupt politicians can not hide any funds they have stolen from the government. Additionally, citizens can advocate that major financial centers take more measures to prevent politicians from using them as ways to launder funds. By taking measures like these, countries can prevent their governments from becoming dysfunctional. You may be wondering, “does it matter if the government is dysfunctional?” The answer is yes because living in a country with a dysfunctional government can begin to impact citizens’ lives. Fortunately, there are bucket lists for involved citizens that can get you more involved with your government and prevent it from becoming dysfunctional.
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Stay Informed About Your Government
If advocating isn’t for you, you can take the simple measure of subscribing to your local, regional, or national newspapers. Be sure to view news that comes from multiple perspectives, rather than only reading conservative or liberal materials. Then, fact-check the news you are reading. Make sure that you are reading all of your news pieces critically and determining facts and opinions. This will help you determine the facts about the politicians and candidates that are in the news. Along the same lines, you can talk to someone who has different political opinions than you. This will help you understand the other perspectives of your fellow countrymen.
You can also take the time to learn about your government. This includes reading up on your rights and government structure. Make sure you take the time to read your government documents thoroughly. This may mean reading them line by line to try to understand them on a deeper level. You can also attend a lecture on different government structures to learn more about your own. You could discuss a public official’s actions with them to try to understand their perspective. Similarly, you could also visit different museums. This will explain your country’s history and how people have taken action against the government in the past. You could also visit different libraries. These will house books and other materials that can teach you about your government.
There are many steps citizens can take to prevent corruption in their governments. Many of these involve advocating for a transparent government and monitoring the actions of politicians. However, there are other, more accessible measures that you can take to stop corrupt politicians, so everyone can hold their government accountable.
