Problems Of Corruption In Ukrainian Government And The Possible Ways Research Paper

Problems Of Corruption In Ukrainian Government And The Possible Ways To Solve It - Research Paper Example As per this report, Ukraine shared this poor corruption status with other third world countries like Bangladesh, Central African Republic, and Syria. In the same year, Ernst & Young identified Ukraine as one of the three most corrupted countries in the world along with Brazil and Columbia. Referring to Wikileaks cables, US diplomats described Ukraine as a state of kleptocracy under the presidency of Kuchma and Yushchenko. This paper will identify the intensity of corruption prevailing in Ukrainian government and suggest some potential remedies to fight the issue. Depth of Corruption in Ukrainian Government Bribes are very common in Ukraine because Ukrainians think that such unfair rewards are customary and expected in every official matters. Referring to recent investigative reports, some of the huge bribes in the country involve more than USD 1 billion. According to a sociological survey conducted by Management Systems International (MSI) in 2008, the level of corruption was very hi gh; in vehicle inspection (57.5%), the police (54.2%), health care (54%), the courts (49%), and higher education (43.6%) (UNO, â€Å"Country reports†). The police and the courts which are in charge of law enforcement in the country are highly corrupted. Undoubtedly, the higher corruption level in the courts and the police become a great obstacle to abolishing this social as well as economic issue. As compared to well developed economies like US and UK, many of the Ukrainians are willing to pay some or other forms of bribes so as to get served fast. Recently in 2011, the Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych admitted that bribes cause the state budget to lose billions of dollars in revenues and a notable percent of public funds â€Å"end up in the pockets of officials† (as qtd in Rachkevych). The president’s words clearly reflect the profundity of corruption in Ukraine. In spite of great media coverage and hot discussions, corruption is still growing to be a majo r growth impediment to the Ukrainian economy. As different surveys point out, nearly 70% of Ukrainians who had dealt with government services over the last five years directly involved in corrupt practices. Experts suggest that this rate would further increase if some respondents were not afraid of consequences. Referring to a report by Danilova, political corruption through the use of administrative tools is a key issue challenging the development of the country (â€Å"Hundreds protest..†). Ukrainian politicians mainly use administrative tools to commit election fraud and thereby make election results in their favor. The situation where many of the top Ukrainian governmental officials have been liable for prosecution also indicates how intense the problem of corruption is in the country’s government system. In fact, medical care is free for Ukrainians in state-run hospitals. However they pay money there to make sure that they receive quality treatment whenever require d. Recently some advocacy groups have accused the Ukrainian Health Ministry officials for misappropriating the money that should have used to treat AIDS patients. They claim that officials bought AIDS drugs at highly inflated prices and received kickbacks in return. As Nitsevych points out, business firms in Ukraine widely engage in corruptive practices in order to take advantages of business licensing, taxation, and customs (â€Å"Potential for German investors..†