Politics is often seen as both a conflicting and an interesting topic in India and an ordinary agenda around the world. While most of the youngsters today are interested in joining politics, somewhere or the other, they are hesitant about entering the field. In this article, we will be discussing how conflict of interest has shaped politics, or rather, is it truly the cause that most young aspirants of our country are hesitant to enter the political field? So, keep reading the article till the end to decode some informative insights.
Does Conflict of Interest Deter Young Minds from Entering Politics?
Well, let’s just get to the point without causing any more delay. In plain terms, yes, conflict of interest does cause hindrance on the way of young aspirants to enter the field of politics. It essentially does so by creating an intense environment where there is distrust, ethical scrutiny, as well as a potential for perceived corruption, which discourages individuals with strong principles as well as a commitment to public service from entering the field where there are private interests.
This also essentially clouds judgments and invites high-level criticism. However, it might also be seen as a barrier to focus upon transparency and accountability in managing conflicts can also attract capable individuals by demonstrating good governance.
Now that you have got a pretty good overview of understanding how conflict of interest hampers politics, hop onto the next section of the article to decode how conflict of interest can be a detterent towards the young aspirants of politics.
Conflict of Interest or Politics- The Age-Old Dilemma
Think of the time when politics was discussed as a regular part of everyday lives, now come to the present times- Do you think now we discuss politics without attaching negative implications to it in our society? The answer remains largely negative. That is exactly one of the facets of how conflicts of interest take shape over time to instill in the minds of citizens to portray politics as a negative and corrupted field. Here’s how conflict of interest has been deterring the minds of young aspirants of politics in a much broader manner than we can imagine:
Ethical Scrutiny
This is one of the most common ways in which conflicts of interest have been shaping young minds today when it comes to taking up politics as a career. A strong focus on the conflict of interest essentially requires individuals to focus constantly on their own actions and potential biases. This can be quite demanding and will also be adding up to the stressful environment, which will be caused by ethical scrutiny. This way of deterrence essentially applies to those who have high ethical standards.
Reputational Risk
This is another one of the common ways by which conflicts of interest distract the minds of young aspirants towards politics. There is always an unsaid reputation that society attaches to politics. With a conflict of interest coming into place, this reputation factor is amplified. Some of the brilliant aspirants to potentially value integrity might be wary of entering a profession that can be perceived as rife with conflicts of interest. This causes a fear of them tarnishing their association with the mere appearance of impropriety
Lack of Autonomy
This is another one of the most crucial ways by which the conflict of interest hampers the minds of young aspirants to enter politics. There are potential conflicts that can significantly compromise an official’s ability to act independently, and they may also feel pressured by secondary private interests, which will deter those who want to make unbiased decisions for the public good.
Perceived or Actual Corruption
Another one of the significant ways by which conflict of interest hampers the young aspirants is perceived or actual corruption. The existence of conflict of interest can be essentially linked to favoritism, cronyism, and corruption, creating an unattractive and morally compromised environment that capable individuals may wish to avoid.
However, while the negative implications of conflict of interest continue to create a gap in the minds of young aspirants, there are still many who choose politics as a lucrative career. Head to the next section to know how.
How Conflict of Interest does not Deter All Young Aspirants?
Conflict of interest, when taken from a broader perspective, has done more harm than good to suppress the political aspirations of many young minds; however, there are still some who choose not to be deterred by its impact. Here’s how to choose not to support conflict of interest:
Desire to Improve the Existing Systems
One of the strong reasons why most young aspirants still think of politics as a lucrative career is that they have an insatiable desire to improve the existing systems. Instead of being deterred, these brilliant minds are attracted to politics to implement better systems and also manage the conflict of interests, and hence increase transparency and accountability
Commitment to Good Governance
Another one of the significant reasons why the young minds are not getting deterred by conflict of interest is because of their drive to commit to good governance. The individuals who are truly committed to public service may see the robust management of the conflict of interests as an opportunity for strengthening their democratic institutions as well as improve the governance
Strategic Advantage
Another key way by which these brilliant minds are not being deterred is to gain a strategic advantage. Strong conflict of interest rules can be a significant strategic advantage as they will help maintain the legitimacy of institutions and also uphold fairness, which can be a powerful force for bringing a positive change in society that will also attract a lot of people towards the common good
Conclusion
Conflict of interest has its own share of negative implications in politics, but the minds prepared to bring about change remain undeterred. That’s all, folks. I hope the article will help you to gain some informative insights on politics and hopefully will be helpful in shaping your political views.