How to prevent corruption in government through technology

At times it really is breathtaking how corrupted government institutions have become.  Government corruption has become so endemic in our society that most people have just kind of accepted it as “normal”. Corruption is defined by the World Bank and Transparency International (TI) as “the misuse of public office for private gain.” As such, it involves the improper and unlawful behaviour of public-service officials, both politicians and civil servants, whose positions create opportunities for the diversion of money and assets from government to themselves and their accomplices. Corruption distorts resource allocation and government performance.

The causes of its development are many and vary from one country to the next. Among the contributing factors are policies, programs and activities that are poorly conceived and managed, failing institutions, poverty, income disparities, inadequate civil servants’ remuneration, and a lack of accountability and transparency.

Public servants, lacking a service mentality, become more interested in serving themselves than serving the public, Public servants should realize that they are there to serve the public. That can only be done when government listens and implements community decisions. For the average person, a bribe is the most obvious evidence of corruption. In many countries, applicants for driver’s licenses, building permits, birth certificates, etc. have learned to expect a surcharge from civil servants in order to obtain these documents. However, the consequences of corruption are more pervasive and profound than these bribes suggest.

Combating corruption is instrumental to the broader goal of achieving more effective, fair, and efficient government. When there is inadequate transparency, accountability, and probity in the use of public resources, the state fails to generate credibility and authority. Systemic corruption undermines the credibility of democratic institutions and counteracts good governance. There is a high correlation between corruption and an absence of respect for human rights, and between corruption and undemocratic practices.

Through systems like I-Tax, IFMIS and Others IT can assist government in ensuring compliance with legal requirements, accounting rules, strict authorization and approval mechanisms, and prohibiting corruption in different ministries.

Corruption in government is a reality of the times and unfortunately it’s the civil servants that are the major risk factor for corruption. In most countries, a great percentage of corruption is in public sector. Prevention is most certainly the best way of managing corruption. The tighter the corruption prevention controls and procedures, the harder it is for unscrupulous civil servants to take advantage. Government should step up controls and procedures to prevent corruption from within the ministries.

IT can assist government in ensuring compliance with legal requirements and accounting rules. And, if you consider that many cases of corruption result from the abuse of the accounting system, it is plain to see how information management systems can assist government in mitigating fraud.

Manual systems are wide open to abuse because documentation can ‘get lost’ or changed, and there’s no audit trail. With an information managing system in place, government can get tighter control of processes and the benefit of comprehensive audit tracking. Alerts on certain fields can be built into the system so that, if for instance, banking details on an account are changed, an email can be sent to someone in authority to check if the change was legitimate.

Management information system can also be used to enforce segregation of duties and strict authorization and approval mechanisms, which prohibit fraudsters from performing functions they are not authorized to do. Modern tools like electronic funds transfers can also be automated to remove the need for, and risks around cash.

Through automated management systems in government departments the government will be able achieve the following:

• Accountability through transparency (access to information)

• Focus on prevention of corruption rather than enforcement.

• Raise awareness and expectations of civil society

• Focus on results-oriented service to the public

• Develop the capacity of “Pillars of Integrity” to fight corruption