Money and Power: The Influence of Wealth in Iraq's Post-2003 Political Process
Keywords:
Iraq, financial resources, governance, political parties, corruption, transparency, democratic processes, accountability, political reforms, quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, power, influence, social instability.Abstract
The impact of financial resources on the elections, governance processes, and political parties has fostered a system where wealth is not a tool of political leverage. This situation results in widespread concern related to corruption, transparency as well erosion of the democratic processes. After the death of Saddam Hussein, a new political system was established. The current study aims to investigate the influence of wealth in Iraq’s political system. for this purpose, mixed methodological approach was used to meet the aim quantitatively and qualitatively. For quantitative analysis a questionnaire was used, and responses were collected whereas, for qualitative analysis, face to face interviews were conducted, and themes were made based on the responses of the participants. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis and the thematic analysis was done for quantitively and qualitatively analyze the results. The findings of the study suggest greater influence of wealth on the overall political system as various political elites use wealth as source of power. The results of the study suggest that eventually, developing a political system that prioritizes responsibility over economic supremacy is important for improving long-term stability and community belief or self-determination in Iraq.
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