It is probably impossible to wipe out corruption entirely in any country, but with proper controls, transparency, safeguards, and laws of public disclosure it can probably be kept within a manageable range. But when corruption reaches substantially higher levels on every business transaction or government function, the country cannot function: government grinds to a halt, investment dries up, business cannot operate because that is precisely their profit margin, and international lending agencies refuse to advance more funds. Some countries are known as kleptocracies (literally, states dominated by thievery) because corruption may reach 90 percent on all transactions and because the sole reason for seeking political office is to rob the national treasury and use public positions for private gain.
We need to make some distinctions here. It is likely that most of us are against all forms of corruption, but we also need to be realistic, A country in which corruption is only a modest 5 to 7 percent can, as indicated, probably continue to function; countries where it reaches 35 to 40 percent are usually in bad trouble; kleptocracies at 90 percent (or more!) are hopeless. We also need to distinguish between patronage (a favor for a favor) and outright corruption or bribery. Most states and most governments in the world (including Arkansas, Louisiana, Chicago, or Washington, D.C.!) could not function without some reasonable, limited degree of patronage (rewarding of friends and supporters, jobs given in return for votes delivered, modest fees paid in return for services rendered); the problem emerges when patronage becomes the virtually sole reason for sacking public office or when entire government agencies are dominated by patronage considerations instead of providing services that truly serve the public.