The
statistical analysis of data emanating from the documentary analysis from
existing reports (both printed and electronic formats) used the Spearman Rank Correlation
to determine the significant relationship between
graft and corruption and rule of law, economic growth, human development and
gross national happiness of citizens.
Based on the findings, the gross domestic product per capita
posted a significant relationship with the corruption perception index (CPI). This means that a more corrupt regime or
government will have less productive or poorer citizenry. This confirms the results from the expert
interviews** conducted that a corrupt government deters growth of
the economy because investments will not escalate; entrepreneurs will not be
encouraged to put up a business because before cash registers will have to be
utilized, you have already spent it for grease money; foreign investors will be
discouraged to invest. A corrupt
government destroys Filipinos morale fiber, desensitizes people, promotes
poverty, creates a greater number of poor people, no inclusive growth, and delays
in infrastructure project implementation.
The corruption perception index was
matched against Human Development Index (HDI) of the Philippines, and analyzed
across 36 randomly selected countries.
The HDI is a relative new barometer of economic development of a
country. As a result, there is a high
correlation as well. Life expectancy,
population literacy, incidence of poverty, and other human development
indicators are apparently better in countries perceived to be less
corrupt. Meanwhile, the same human
development indicators posted worse figures in countries perceived to be more
corrupt. Thus, there is a strong link
between good governance and incidence of corruption in a country. This further confirms the results from the
expert interviews that a corrupt government results to poverty and poor quality
of life, a wide gap between the rich and the poor, and inadequate social
services.
Further, the gross national
happiness (GNH) index is perfectly correlated with the corruption perception
index across Philippine presidencies. This
means that if a government is clean and not
corrupt, its citizens would be very happy and satisfied with the delivery of
services. Since this measure was recently introduced by the United
Nations, only the presidencies of Benigno Simeon Aquino II and Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo were compared. Across 36 randomly selected countries, the
gross national happiness index and corruption perception index (CPI) were
correlated. Once again, there is a
strong link between the two variables.
Finally, across 36 randomly selected countries, there
is a high correlation between the rule of law index and corruption perception
index. This means that if
a government is clean and not corrupt, there will be effective enforcement of
system of laws.
There is a need to determine the relationship of the
incidence of graft and corruption and rule of law, economic growth, human
development index and gross national happiness because it analyzes how graft
and corruption undermine every effort to enforce the rule of law and establish
good governance in the land.
Based on the findings, there
is a direct link of corruption and the rule of law, economic growth, human
development and gross national happiness
The GDP per capita of the Philippines is described as low. This can be attributed due to the country’s
weak institutions, weak revenue performance, weighty debt service, and high
input costs which put a strain on government spending. Corruption and political instability are also
unique in the Philippines in terms of its unpredictability and extent, which serves
as a disincentive for the private sector to invest. Moreover, poverty remains a critical social
problem in Philippines.
On the other hand, human development index (HDI) measures the
quality of life of individuals in a certain country. The Philippines ranks 114 on HDI and is
classified as “Medium Human Development” according to the 2013 Human
Development Report released by the United Nations Development Programme. There is a slow increase in the overall
value of the HDI in the Philippines.
Quality of life in the Philippines remains unchanged as more Filipinos
remain to be vulnerable to poverty despite a booming economy. Having a low CPI at 38 explains why the
Philippines has a higher perception of corruption because of its experience of
lower quality of life.
Gross national happiness (GNH) measures the level of
satisfaction of the citizens of a country.
If a government is clean and not corrupt, its citizens would be very
happy and satisfied with the delivery of public services. A significant finding indicates that the
gross national happiness (GNH) index is perfectly correlated with the
corruption perception index across Philippine presidencies.
Finally, the rule of law index measures how the rule of law
is experienced by the public across the globe. If a government is clean and not corrupt,
there will be an effective system of the rule of law. The Philippines ranks 51 on Rule of Law Index
according to the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2015. This explains why the rule of law in the
Philippines is not effective.
References:
Nelson,
R. (2007), “The Philippine Economic Mystery,” The Philippine Review of
Economics, Vol. XLIV No.1 (Manila, Philippines).
Amojelar, D. (2013). “Quality of Life in Philippines stagnates despite economic boom- UNDP Report,” Interaksyon.com.
** Expert interview -- A qualitative interview involving 30 experts
on good governance was undertaken to determine:
a) the root causes of graft and
corruption in the Philippines; b) impact
of having a corrupt government; and c) suggested
laws, interventions or measures to curb the incidence of corruption in the
country. The qualifications and credentials of these
experts were carefully determined to enhance the credibility of the collated
opinions. These 30 experts emanated from
the academe, government, judiciary and private sectors.
No comments:
Post a Comment