Lack of social discipline

[Developing countries]

In varying degrees, developing countries lack adequate social discipline. There are deficiencies in their legislation and in law observance and enforcement. Public officials disregard the rules and directives that they should follow. Often they act in collusion with powerful persons and groups whose conduct it is theoretically their function to regulate. These tendencies act as impediments to policy making and policy implementation. Due to such laxity, arbitrariness and licentiousness, there is a widespread resistance to public controls; exploitation of such weaknesses leads to unjust enrichment of persons who have economic, social and political power.

[Former socialist countries]

De-terrorization throughout the population, combined with better education and a certain expansion of contacts with the outside world, led to a somewhat freer and franker climate in some former socialist countries. This climate generated a gradual erosion of fear of authorities which contributed towards the growth of corruption and the weakening of labour discipline, both of which are contributing factors to the damage of the economy and the fabric of society. Open disregard for law, coupled with an apparent decline of the fear of authority, seemed to have become a pervasive phenomenon. There was an overall erosion of respect for Party discipline, with little fear of sanctions; breaches of labour discipline were not only rampant, but officially tolerated; and there was open disregard of printed accusations and court sentences.

A survey conducted in the former Soviet Union revealed that 42% of respondents admitted that they sometimes violated labour discipline. 49% thought that labour discipline was something to be regarded everywhere, while 48% thought it depended on the circumstances.