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Essay APC2602 - Political Economy Of Africa CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF OPPORTUNISTIC BEHAVIOUR
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Essay APC2602 - Political Economy Of Africa CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF OPPORTUNISTIC BEHAVIOUR
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THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUINCES OF OPPORTUNISTICBEHAVIOUR IN THE AFRICAN STATE
INTRODUCTION
The African state has been described in many ways. It is referred
to as the “corrupt state” and the “rentier state” – both these terms
include the idea of opportunistic behaviour. Opportunism is
defined as self-interest seeking with guile (sly or cunning
intelligence). It includes blatant forms, such as lying, stealing, and
cheating, as well as subtle forms of deceit, mostly the incomplete
or distorted disclosure of information. It is responsible for real or
contrived forms of information asymmetry. In this essay, the focus
will be on corruption and rent-seeking.
THE UNLAWFUL STATE
Corruption is notoriously hard to measure or even to define, and
therefore it is impossible to say for certain whether corruption in
Africa is increasing or whether it is worse than in other places.
Some of the more monstrous cases of corruption can also be called
by other names. If a head of state bribes soldiers form the army to
murder his personal enemies, this may indeed be corruption, but it
is also conspiracy to murder.
Some African heads of state do not limit themselves to demanding
kickbacks for awarding state contracts, which I probably the most
common form of official corruption, or extending their protection
to professional criminals in return for payment. A handful have
gone beyond forms of collusion like these to become the main
, organizers of syndicates that are smuggling drugs, guns, or other
illicit goods on a large scale.
THE HISTORY OF GRAFT
Situating corruption within a specific historical context suggests
that certain illicit practices, even if they are formally outlawed,
may be considered morally permissible by large numbers of people
in some circumstances. The law and popular perceptions of
morality do not always coincide in their views.
In many cases, many historical practices that are deeply rooted in
African societies have been classed today as corrupt. Examples
include the accumulation of political power and social prestige
mainly through patronage; an expectation that rich people will
redistribute wealth to their family and other dependents.
Culture in Africa has long been a political battleground. More than
40 years after most African countries acquired sovereign status,
these cultural disputes still resonate. Observing that a practice has
historical roots, does not automatically make it acceptable in our
own times. An example is that people who have served as state
officials are expected by their own families to enrich themselves
through corruption. Otherwise, they are accused of failing to do
the “cultural thing”: to steal money from the national treasury, an
action they may justify on cultural grounds.
FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO BUREUCRATIC CORRUPTION
According to Hope, there are 6 factors that contribute to
bureaucratic corruption in Africa. The first factor is that of the
total exercise, by the ruling elite, of all power attached to national
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