CORRUPTION AFFECTS LEGITIMACY OF GOV’TS

CORRUPTION REDUCES institutional trust in a number of ways. Noted corruption scholars Mauro and Rothstein both agree that trust is marginally significant for tax evasion, while tax evasion very strongly tracks the level of corruption in society. People see corrupt governments and believe that it is acceptable to steal and especially to withhold their taxes, otherwise their hard-earned money would go directly into the pockets of the corrupt politicians. This ultimately affects the institutions in society and the legitimacy of a government.

Assessing more closely, as it relates to trust and corruption, corruption seems to matter for adherence to the law and for red tape in the bureaucracy. According to Uslaner, “most of the time, it is trust that matters most. Trusting governments, more than honest governments, spend a greater share of their gross domestic product on government, spend more for education and on the public sector more generally, and have better-functioning judiciaries and greater political stability”. Thus, if the society lacks trust in the government, and/or its institutions, it poses a hindrance to development and growth.

Corruption has been, and continues to be, a significant challenge for Jamaica. There is widespread belief that many government institutions, perhaps none more than the police, is rife with corruption, bribery, lack of accountability and thereby compromising the security of citizens.

The primary task of the police force is to serve and protect the Jamaican public; but corruption, nepotism, favouritism and a lack of professionalism undoubtedly undermine the functions of the police force. With the public perception that the police force is among the most corrupt institutions, band-aid solutions will not yield significant results.