Corruption widens rich-poor gap

They said poverty is not the sole cause of corruption as it is found that in developing countries, poor people are less corrupt than the rich.

The Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) organised the seminar on 'Corruption and governance' on its campus in the city.

Presenting a keynote paper, Prof Mushtaq Husain Khan of University of London said low salaries, lack of democracy, weak civil society, non-meritocratic bureaucracy and weak judicial system are the major causes of corruption.

"Conventional models see corruption as an exchange driven by personal greed and it causes loss of resources and creates inefficiency in economy," he said.

Ensuring accountability and transparency is not enough to reduce corruption, Prof Mushtaq said, adding that the opportunity cost of corruption should be higher to curb it.

If the salary of the officials is high and they are sacked for taking bribe, the opportunity cost of corruption will be higher, discouraging them from taking bribes, he explained.

Vice Chancellor of IUB Prof Bazlul Mobin Chowdhury said rampant corruption has led to uneven distribution of resources between the rich and the poor. As a result, the poor are becoming poorer, he added.

Prof M Mufakharul Islam and Dr Tanvir A Khan were also present.