Corruption and Religion, Modernity and Tradition: Discourse in India in a

Globalised WorldDr Heather Marquette

and Cornelias Ncube

University of Birmingham, UK

Professor Vinod

Pavarala and

Dr Kanchan Malik

University of Hyderabad, India

 

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Overview of today’s presentation• What does the literature tell us about the relationship between corruption and modernity/tradition, including religion?• What does the literature tell us about this relationship in India?• CASE STUDY: Evidence from Punjab and Hyderabad (A.P.)• What are the theoretical implications of the fieldwork?

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The relationship between corruption and modernity/tradition

• Much of the corruption literature treats modernity and tradition (including religion as one aspect of tradition) as polar opposites, or ‘binaries’• Same is true for vernacular discourses as well• In layman’s terms, this translates as:

– Tradition leads to increased corruption because the lines between public and private are blurred; particularly in terms of kinship and patronage

or– Modernity leads to increased corruption because of relentless pursuit of wealth at expense of ‘traditional’ moral values

Policy implications of this debate?

• The policy angle is important because much corruption literature is policy-oriented/-originated.

• From a policy perspective, this makes things very complicated

– If tradition is the problem: need to make a clearer distinction between the public and private spheres through strengthening of modern institutions so what role does this leave for religion then?

– If modernity is the problem: need to ensure that traditional moral values shapes behaviour in the public as well as private spheres so can religion provide these moral values, even in multi-faith, often secular states?

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Our argument

• Our starting point for the overall research is that our role is to understand, not to solve.

• Our argument is that:– tradition and modernity do not exist in a linear progression as Weber

and subsequent modernists argued; people can be modern and traditional at the same time

• the relationship between tradition and modernity, between religion and corruption, cannot be seen in terms of a binary, particularly in a globalised world

• In the Indian context, certainly, the relationships here – between modernity, tradition, religion and corruption – seem to be fluid, complex, diverse

– However, respondents clearly believe that corruption is impacted by drive towards consumerism – but that should not be seen as equivalent to ‘modern’

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Examples from the corruption literature on developed countries

Author Main message

Wertheim (1970) In Sicily, major cause of corruption was kinship and patronage

Jeremy (1970) Again, in Sicily, kinship and patronage were pervasive to the extent that the value of life was defined in relation to one’s responsibilities towards his or her family membersAt the core of the system of patronage was the tradition of cult saints (the ‘ultimate’ patron?)

Treisman (2000) Protestantism is more egalitarian and individualistic than Catholicism, which influences people to challenge corrupt officials, as opposed to hierarchical religious traditions such as Catholicism which tend to venerate authorities even when they are wrong

Wraith & Simpkins (1970) Instrumental to the smooth transition to rational-legal bureaucracies was Puritanism; the transition was achieved simultaneously with the modernisation and development of politics that socialised elites into accepted political leadership values and civil servants into accepted work ethics 6

Examples from the corruption literature on developing countries

Author Main message

Rodney (1972) In pre-colonial Africa, under the kinship system it was the duty of every kin member to care for his/her relatives. Modernisation ‘introduced money relations at the expense of kinship ties’ (p.235)

Sklar (1993) Again, in pre-colonial Africa, because of racial segregation policies, native civil servants were less exposed to administrative norms associated with Weberian bureaucracy; so at independence found themselves operating between Western attitudes/values and indigenous traditions/ethics

Brownsberger (1983)/Hyden (1983)

Extended family system ‘overburdens’ officials with responsibilities that are not complemented by the often meagre salary s/he receives, forcing the official to engage in corruption in order to uphold kinship obligations

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Two sides of the debate from the Indian literature

Author Main message

Dwivedi & Jain (1988) Low bureaucratic morality in India is a product of traditional caste system drawing on influence of Hinduism, Islam & Christianity; in combination these factors have created an ‘Indian culture’ that considers it unethical not to assist a person from the same caste

Dwivedi (1967) ‘An administrative system influenced by such traditional loyalties will tend toward an ascriptive rather than achievement-oriented pattern of recruitment. And that is why a person who asks favours from officers belonging to his caste does not consider his act unethical’ (cited in Dwivedi & Jain, 1988, p.209)

Bhattacharya (1996) Laments the ‘Westwards’ gaze of India; ‘Westernisation’/modernisation = ‘all pervasive rent-seeking’ and ‘having more – the driving force, necessarily at the expense of others – guided only by a consciousness of personal rights, ignoring and even denying the existence of duties to others’ (p.98)

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• ‘In a sense, the two views are similar in that both look towards some perceived “essences” of Indian culture; while on blames some of these essences for creating conditions for corruption, the other contends that those essential elements of the culture espouse noble ideals and tend to inhibit any corrupt behaviour’ (Pavarala 1996: 119)

CASE STUDY: Background information

• Sites for research– Punjab: Amritsar and Chandigarh– Andhra Pradesh: Hyderabad

• Sample– ‘Religious’: heads of religious organisations, members of

statutory bodies that run religious centres, the priestly class, and academics who specialise in religious studies

– ‘Secular’: public servants, corporate executives, traditional business people, NGO representatives, media, academics and youth/university students

Caveat on sample: majority of respondents were urban, English-educated and, to an extent, cosmopolitan; a different sample may well give different results

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Research questions

• What do these terms, ‘traditional’ or ‘modern’ mean to you?

• Would you consider yourself more traditional or more modern?

• Is there anything specific about traditional values that fosters or encourages corrupt behaviour?

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Finding 1: Modernity may well co-exist with tradition

• ‘I am both traditional and modern’ – modern may well co-exist with the traditional– Modern classified as ‘progressive’ and open to new

ideas and ways of life• Certain attributes of religion, especially in Hinduism, like

fatalism and karma (deeds/actions) of their previous life, are believed by some respondents to assist tolerance of corruption– Conversely, others believed that these elements of

the ‘traditional’ culture do not create an atmosphere supportive of tolerance of corruption

Finding 1: Respondents’ voices

• ‘It’s about a person’s thoughts. It’s about your modern outlook and the way you see the world. If you have a proper outlook towards the world, and you are able to treat other people equally, respect others’ ideas and you respect other religions in the society, then you are modern. If you only “look” modern – that is not modern’ (youth, Punjab)

• ‘I would say that I am modern because I look to learn from other things, not just my religion and value system. I also look to get my values from other religions’ (university student, Punjab)

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Finding 1 (continued)

• ‘Tradition is taught by our elders and modern by media, education etc. We should adopt whatever is convenient for us. Modern means comfort – whether it is dress or even food, if it is suitable and according to your convenience. Whenever there is any festival, I will be very traditional, do pooja and give traditional look to my house. But when I go out for parties, I love to sing and dance, tell jokes. There is conflict in the mind only when the family members are around, otherwise it is okay’ (academic, Hyderabad)

• ‘I don’t think that these two things will have to be mutually contradictory all the time. Modern means that your way of thinking is modern. More contemporary, more you move away from what has been there. It definitely co-exists with tradition. I am going to follow the traditional part of my religion but my religion allows me the freedom to think in a very modern way. It does not say that you are bound to thinking in this way only’ (development worker, Punjab)

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Finding 1 (continued)

• ‘I think it goes beyond [values or tradition promoting corruption]. I think it is just we as the country, we are endorsing corruption. I think that is the issue. If we as the country find everyone who is corrupt and hang them, if we could – then? It has nothing to do with traditional or modern – it is all about greed. Corruption is about greed and wanting to climb the ladder of power’ (bureaucrat, Hyderabad)

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Finding 2: Consumerism is the culprit

• Blame for rampant corruption put squarely on the ‘consumerist’ and ‘materialistic’ of modernisation

• Excessive ‘having more syndrome’ condemned• Respondents evoked the times when flaunting wealth

was considered bad behaviour

• People were said to indulge in corruption in the name of God or undertake to ‘make God a stakeholder in corruption’ by constructing temples or reallocating their ill-gotten wealth into charity; also, religious donations/rituals/ceremonies another way to display wealth

Finding 2: Respondents’ voices

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• ‘Modern-day marriages…more more wasteful than the other – it’s a perversion of values. Nobody is ready to hear that we should lead a simple life. Consumerism is the major culprit in the decline of the value system’ (bureaucrat, Punjab)

• ‘People have stopped saving and go on a spending spree. Too much of grandeur, pomp and show has come into our daily lives. This is leading to unhealthy competition and rivalry and people end up buying things which are not really of use to them for reasons such as competition, jealousy, rivalry, hatred and to show someone is inferior. This is 100% contributing to corruption because we are trying to spend more than we should and we are trying to swallow more than we can chew’ (bureaucrat, Hyderabad)

Finding 2 (continued)

• ‘Like vehicles have become very common nowadays. A school boy, who has completed his 8th or 9th grade, is demanding a vehicle nowadays. His father’s salary is not that much that he can provide him the vehicle. Because of his son’s fighting daily, his father is forced to provide him a vehicle. And college going students are going for 4xwheelers. That too BMWs! If he is the son of an IAS officer or a Minister, they are going for BMWs and Ferraris. That is what is forcing their parents to indulge in corruption’ (development worker, Hyderabad)

• ‘Consumerism has definitely had an effect on the moral values of the individuals and the society at large. Now when we do business, we are not particular about the means, only concerned about the ends – maximum profit by hook or by crook. So consumerism in a way is not just encouraging corruption, but is leading directly to corruption…I want my iPod, my dress, my accessories – it has become a mode of self-aggrandisement’ (university student, Punjab)

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Finding 2 (continued)

• ‘Modernisation has brought materialistic values to the front seat and ethical and moral values have been relegated to the back seat. I have to buy a bike; I have to buy a car. My needs are increasing everyday because of newer products in the market. My greed is never ending but the salary is staying stagnant. Only if you have not imbibed the bad things about being modern, you will resist the temptation of buying all this; otherwise, you will give in to corruption’ (university student, Punjab)

• ‘I definitely feel that this propensity to acquire more and more wealth, without bothering about the means of acquisition, is resulting in a tremendous amount of corruption in the society. The competitive spirit, the demands made by young people from their parents or made by them on themselves to acquire wealth, the general acceptance in the society of people with money, without looking into their professional accomplishments. That is contributing to a lot of corruption and permissiveness in society’ (director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Hyderabad)

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Conclusions

• Respondents themselves did not see a binary relationship between modernity and tradition, so corruption discourse that frames in these terms distorts reality on the ground; from both academic and policy perspective, this is unhelpful and inaccurate

• Consumerism and ‘worshipping’ of wealth and material success were seen as the problem, but most respondents said that this was not the same thing as being ‘modern’– Being ‘modern’ is to be ‘progressive’ and ‘open’ - you can be ‘modern’

and wear traditional clothes and be religious and live simply – conversely, you can be ‘traditional’ and live opulently and display wealth

• Consumerism instead linked not to modernity or even Westernisation but instead to capitalism/liberalisation– Latter often prescribed as part of anti-corruption strategies, particularly

in terms of breaking down kinship/patronage, so part of the ‘solution’ for corrutpion could also be part of the ‘problem’!

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Conclusions (continued)

• Most respondents called for a return to ‘simple living, high thinking’ as an anti-dote to hyper-consumerism and to hyper-corruption

• It was argued that this is true for all faiths and is not specific to the Indian context, although there is obviously a historical and cultural connection

• Gandhism as a global anti-corruption strategy?

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Further comments or questions welcome! Please contact Dr Heather Marquette (

h.a.marquette@bham.ac.uk) or Professor Vinod Pavarala (vpavarala@gmail.com)

Thank you for your attention.

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