FAMILY SIZE, CORRUPTION AND DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Family is an integral social institution in every society, whether developed or developing. It forms the basic organising principle of social life. Thus the family varies from one society to another. In all societies it is the central institution that is responsible for the transmsformation of infants into civilized adult. It introduces the child to altitudes, beliefs and behavioral expectations that prevail in the larger world in which the family is located, (Ogunbameru, et al 2000). Family as an institution, therefore, evolved as modernity progressed and so do its functions. These changes have been a cause of serious concern, most especially considering the implications on the lives of individuals, groups and the entire society. As the most basic unit of social organisation, some of the latent functions are bound to be negative impacts on the behavioral expectation of individuals and groups in the society. Nevertheless, the issue of corruption and development cannot be divorced from the analysis of the functions of the family, because both pivot round attitudes and behavior of the people. As such this paper dwells on the structural change of the family and its impact on the corruption and development in Nigeria becomes imperative.