Read the following passage and answer the questions:
All
political systems need to mediate the relationship between private wealth and
public power. Those that fail risk a dysfunctional government captured by
wealthy interests. Corruption is one symptom of such failure with private
willingness-to-pay trumping public goals. Private individuals and business
firms pay to get routine services and to get to the head of the bureaucratic
queue. They pay to limit their taxes, avoid costly regulations, obtain
contracts at inflated prices and get concessions and privatised firms at low
prices. If corruption is endemic, public officials - both bureaucrats and
elected officials - may redesign programmes and propose public projects with
few public benefits and many opportunities for private profit. Of course,
corruption, in the sense of bribes, pay-offs and kickbacks, is only one type of
government failure. Efforts to promote 'good governance' must be broader than
anti-corruption campaigns. Governments may be honest but inefficient because no
one has an incentive to work productively, and narrow
elites may capture the state and exert excess influence on policy. Bribery may
induce the lazy to work hard and permit those not in the inner circle of
cronies to obtain benefits. However, even in such cases, corruption cannot be
confined to 'functional' areas. It will be a temptation whenever private
benefits are positive. It may be a reasonable response to a harsh reality but,
over time, it can facilitate a spiral into an even worse situation.
1. The governments which fail to focus on the relationship
between private wealth and public power are likely to become:
(A) Functional
(B) Dysfunctional
(C) Normal functioning
(D) Good governance
2. One important symptom of bad governance is:
(A) Corruption
(B) High taxes
(C) Complicated rules and regulations
(D) High prices
3. When corruption is rampant, public officials always aim
at many opportunities for:
(A) Public benefits
(B) Public profit
(C) Private profit
(D) Corporate gains
4. Productivity linked incentives to public/private
officials is one of the indicatives for:
(A) Efficient government
(B) Bad governance
(C) Inefficient government
(D) Corruption
5. The spiralling corruption can only be contained by
promoting:
(A) Private profit
(B) Anti-corruption campaign
(C) Good governance
(D) Pay-offs and kick backs
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