Predatory Government Essay ⋆ Political Science Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

Predatory government refers to a condition in which corruption, inefficiency, and abuse of power mark political institutions. Predatory governments typically lack transparency or a system of checks and balances to prevent abuses by one or more government branches. Bureaucracies may be weak or ineffective, or they are highly powerful constituting the ruling class and often act unchecked or unaccountable to the population. Predatory governments typically allow only a low level of economic and personal freedom for its citizens, and often come in authoritarian forms, such as dictatorships or oligarchies. The ultimate form of predatory government is a kleptocracy, meaning “rule by thieves,” in which political leaders use their positions and power to enrich themselves to the detriment of their citizens.

The notion deeply intertwines with traditional Western liberal criticisms of the potential power of the state. The growing size of modern government sectors, especially in the economic sphere, has led to charges of predatory government action in developed democracies. The use of regressive tax systems or fees is often cited as a manifestation of predatory governments failing to provide for the common good despite largely benefiting the elite classes. Another example is the use of large public expenditures to support projects of policies expected to have a limited impact on the citizenry, but beneficial to a leader’s personal interests or personal contacts. In 2000, former Indonesian president Suharto was placed under house arrest for the alleged embezzlement of half a billion U.S. dollars from government donations to finance his own personal investments. By 2004, the German nongovernment organization, Transparency International, declared Suharto misused approximately $15 to $35 billion during his thirty-two years as president in Indonesia.

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