Unpunished corruption leads to more corruption

In our society, many cases of corruption go unpunished. Prevalence of rule violations (corruption, tax evasion etc.) tends to reduce intrinsic honesty in young people, says a recent paper in Nature.

More than 2500 young people from 23 countries took part in the experiment. Researchers conclude that

"weak institutions and cultural legacies that generate rule violations not only have direct adverse economic consequences, but might also impair individual intrinsic honesty that is crucial for the smooth functioning of society".

The message is clear: if you want to reduce corruption and tax evasion, punish the guilty and let the public know that economic offences will not be tolerated. This would have implications on lying and dishonest behaviour even in other realms of day-to-day life.