This Anti-Corruption Helpdesk brief was produced in response to a query from a U4 Partner Agency. The U4 Helpdesk is operated by Transparency International in collaboration with the U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre based at the Chr. Michelsen Institute.
Query
Please provide an overview of the negative effects of corruption on young people and their role in preventing corruption.
Summary
Young people are vulnerable to multiple forms of corruption that result in severe negative impacts spanning the social, economic and political dimensions of their lives. Anti-corruption measures can consciously seek to inform young people about the effects of corruption and engage them through activism, innovation, and social accountability initiatives. An important enabling condition is that national stakeholders provide meaningful opportunities for youth participation.
Main points
- Available survey evidence suggests young people are often more exposed to corruption than the general population.
- Corruption is associated with a range of negative outcomes on issues that matter greatly to young people, especially in the realm of education. This can contribute to unemployment, emigration and political alienation.
- While primarily victims of corruption, some young people learn from an early age that corrupt practices are normal and view them as necessary to get ahead. Evidence increasingly shows that tailored education measures can help nurture young people’s intolerance for corrupt and unethical behaviour.
- Many positive examples have emerged in recent years showcasing the potential of engaging youth in anti-corruption, drawing on their ability to raise awareness, innovate and monitor and report corruption.
- Nevertheless, in many cases young people’s involvement may be underutilised or treated as tokenistic or cosmetic by national authorities. This has led many voices in the field to propose more meaningful forms of engagement for young people in anti-corruption efforts.
Authors
Jamie Bergin
Reviewed by
Caitlin Maslen and Matthew Jenkins (TI)
Monica Kirya (U4)
Date
02/09/2024
