Corruption: embedded culture or default social mechanism: a non-definitive rant

What is the root-cause of corruption? Embedded culture, default social mechanism, or something else/more complex?

I would say that the nature of the corruption stems from the environ. Corruption from affluence is greed based. Corruption from poverty is more need based. But is corruption something learned in certain circumstances, or simply human-nature-based? Is corruption in itself a bad thing? Is it just a way for governments to prevent humans having an easy time, and to then be able to tax us by outlawing transactions that circumnavigate the system? Is it all a matter of perspective? How can we expect power people or even nations to adopt western views towards corruption when we do indeed have it very easy here, and we allow our biggest companies to be corrupt by floating on the frontiers of sytems of tax avoidance and squeezing the third world. Are we all indeed contributing to a wholly corrupt world order that in its complexity outlaws atavistic corruptions yet perpetuates advanced and intelligent forms of money juggling . . .

So from my rant I must glean that it is indeed human nature to want more; and one form of that manifests itself wholly by instinct through corruption . . .