Economic theory has not been shy about corruption. A social bad of our times, it has evolved towward a more comprehensive ways headed to improve its benefit . Like the second best theory, it has become the alternative path to get control of the sate. The first one is of course throughout free elections, but in this case those who are elected, are subject to the scrutiny by their voters. Corruption instead works quietly to get rid of any vestige of control and scrutiny. So; once it becomes the core of the state actions, there is no way to think about a better state.It goes the other way .The State becomes the throphy which signal the decomposition of a society. Those who failed their promise to their voters, are in the position of getting both huge ilegal profit and advantage positions arising from corruption pratices. At the same time, they get the control of the State such that any action to prevent those practices are not possible. Corruption self reinforce indefinitely .
Back to economic theory, Rose-Ackerman (1978) wrote an essay "Corruption: A Study in political economy which argues about two types of corruption
a.- Political corruption
b,. Burocratic corruption
However, recent events in many latin american countries and in other places , suggest a thrid type : the one arising from mixing both political and burocratic corruption. It may be called the "deep state corruption", as long as there is not any guard of last resort .The whole state becomes captured by corruption.-
This mixed social bad has serious implications:
a.- Undermine the free society and its institutions
b.- It becomes the new source of power to influence events, not based upon the people best interest, but their own
c.- It confuse the role of those institutions like free press of staying between power and society
d.- It affect negatively the prospect for investment and economic growth, becasue it becomes like a heavy shadow tax to be impose on any transactions
f.- Finally, society lose its moral stand, its sense of what it means to do the right thing ant to guarantee the fair chance for everyone to get their expectations to become real
Worse of all the above , is the fact that these days international public opinion is watching as close those consequences are to the ordinary citizens.
