Impact of Corruption in Ssnp in the Context of Bangladesh Essay Example

limits citizen's access to basic public services.

According to the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2012, on a scale of O to 100, Bangladesh scored 26 and has been marked 13th from the bottom the same as 2011. Corruption does not only exist in the developing countries like Bangladesh, however for us it remains as a more critical challenge than in developed countries. It is usually known that almost all kinds of corruption perpetuate in politics and administration in Bangladesh.The most common form of corruption is pecuniary bribes. Other forms of corruption are: abuse of authority, nepotism, favoritism, fraud, patronage, theft nd deceit.

In many cases forms of corruptions are intertwined with their consequences. Many of these lead to a concern of policy capture by corruption. Question arises whether in the arena of policies decisions and actions of national interest those who are committed to control corruption are being increasingly over powered by those who benefit from it directly or indirectly.Relation between Social Safety Nets Programme, Poverty and Corruption The concept of 'social safety net' came from the broader term 'social protection'. In chronological order, safety net came first into the discourse during the 1980's in esponse to the adverse effects of structural adjustment.

The concept was later popularized in East Asia during the financial crisis. Safety net is a concept that is largely associated with the idea of a short-term buffer. Although the term 'social safety net' was adopted in the 1980s, however previously programmes of similar natures have been in practice.Some examples include rural works program, relief to areas adversely affected by natural calamity, etc. According to Grosh et al, in the social policy,

safety net programs are meant both to help catch those falling minimum income to those more permanently poor.

Social Safety Nets (SSNs) programmes are designed with the aim to provide support for the vulnerable section of the society. With a vision to prevent transmission of poverty from generation to generation, the safety net programs opt for a more efficient society in terms of the choices made by individuals.Social safety net is a measure taken by the government in order to prevent the vulnerable section of its population to fall beyond a certain level of poverty. Over 200 years ago, Adam Smith (father of the modern economics) saw in poorness not Just a problem of having access to the basic necessities to support one's life, but lso a social handicap.

"Poverty is really the lack of freedom to have or to do basic things that you value," said Amartya Sen, the Nobel laureate in economics.The Social safety nets play both a redistributive and a productive role supporting moral philosophy as well as managing risks. These two are the major pillars that Justify the existence of safety net programs. Social safety nets avert the vulnerable section of its population to fall beyond a certain level of poverty. It should be mentioned at the outset that the safety net programs create a path towards poverty reduction in the long run. They do not reduce poverty directly; rather, these programs tend to reduce transitional poverty through ensuring proper nutritional intake, education, health care etc.

In other words, the safety net programs are methods through which poverty is expected to fall through investment in human capital. One third of the people

of Bangladesh are living below the national poverty line (HIES 2010) and an increasing number of population being added below the lower poverty line. Safety net programs in Bangladesh are more than a necessary element in fghting poverty. The government has been following a combination of direct and indirect safety net rograms for poverty eradication addressing both human and income poverty.

On the other hand corruption is defined by Transparency International as abuse of public office for private gain. The UN's Global Programme Against Corruption (GPAC) defines corruption as the "abuse of power for private gain". Economic theory and empirical evidence suggest that corruption impedes economic growth and hence accentuates poverty by discouraging or raising the cost of investment and entrepreneurship, curtailing access to public services, lowering the quality of public expenditures, reducing revenue. In terms of implications.Amaryta Sen alerts that a "high level of corruption can make public policies ineffective and can also draw investment and economic activities away from productive pursuits towards the towering rewards of underhanded activities".

Corruption hurts the poor disproportionately - by diverting funds intended for development, undermining a government's ability to provide basic services, feeding inequality and injustice, and discouraging foreign investment and aid. Corruption is a key element in economic underperformance, and a major obstacle to poverty alleviation and development.