The problem of corruption is of central significance for the development prospects of poor countries. Corruption undermines development by siphoning off resources for infrastructure and public services and by weakening the legitimacy of the state.
It is believed by many that democratisation and economic liberalisation have the potential to reduce corruption, whilst others place their faith in institutional innovations as the most effective means of tackling the problem. There also exists a growing awareness of the potential for international action through inter-governmental agencies and NGOs. However, these contemporary features of corruption, and ranges of potential solutions, have not been subject to systematic analytical or empirical scrutiny.
The contributions of this volume offer a fresh approach to analysing the problem of corruption in developing countries and the best means to tackle the phenomenon. They draw on a wide variety of theoretical traditions and are interdisciplinary in their approach, reflecting the fact that corruption cannot be understood through the lens of economic or political analysis alone.
A wealth of empirical material from a range of developing countries is used to examine these questions. The emerging message shows corruption to be a complex, multi-faceted phenomenon, which pervades all societies to varying degrees. It requires a complementary response at a variety of levels through governments, aid agencies and NGOs, working together to tackle the root causes of the problem and mitigate its corrosive developmental consequences.
Contents
- Corruption and Development: An Introduction, by Mark Robinson
- Patron-Client Networks and the Economic Effect of Corruption in Asia, by Mushtaq H. Khan
- An Empirical Investigation of Bribery in International Trade, by Johann Graf Lambsdorff
- Taxation, Corruption and Reform, by John Toye and Mick Moore
- Fighting Systematic Corruption: Social Foundations for Institutional Reform, by Michael Johnston
- Criteria for Sustainable Corruption Control, by Fredrik Gultung
- The Political Economy of Anti Corruption
- Strategies in Africa, by Stephen P Riley
