Corruption : what everyone needs to know / Ray Fisman, Miriam A. Golden.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fisman, Raymond, author.

Golden, Miriam A., author.

Series:

What everyone needs to know

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political corruption.

Physical Description:

xviii, 316 pages ; 22 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2017]

Summary:

Corruption regularly makes front page headlines: public officials embezzling government monies, selling public offices, and trading bribes for favors to private companies generate public indignation and calls for reform. In Corruption: What Everyone Needs to Know®, renowned scholars Ray Fisman and Miriam A. Golden provide a deeper understanding of why corruption is so damaging politically, socially, and economically. Among the key questions examined are: is corruption the result of perverse economic incentives? Does it stem from differences in culture and tolerance for illicit acts of government officials? Why don't voters throw corrupt politicians out of office? Vivid examples from a wide range of countries and situations shed light on the causes of corruption, and how it can be combated. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Introduction 1

1.1 What is the purpose of this book? 1

1.2 Why does corruption matter? 3

1.3 What is our framework for understanding corruption? 4

1.4 How can a corrupt country shift to a low-corruption equilibrium? 12

1.5 What are other frameworks for thinking about corruption? 15

1.6 What will you read in the chapters to come? 19

1.7 What did we learn in chapter 1? 21

2 What Is Corruption? 23

2.1 How do we define corruption? 23

2.2 Is corruption necessarily illegal? 26

2.3 How do we measure corruption? 30

2.4 How is political corruption different from bureaucratic corruption? 37

2.5 How is corruption different from corporate malfeasance? 42

2.6 Is influence peddling a form of corruption? 44

2.7 Do clientelism and patronage involve corruption? 48

2.8 Does electoral fraud involve corruption? 51

2.9 What did we learn in chapter 2? 53

3 Where Is Corruption Most Prevalent? 55

3.1 Why is corruption more common in poor countries? 55

3.2 Why do some low-corruption countries remain poor? 63

3.3 How does corruption decline as countries get richer? 65

3.4 Why have some rich countries failed to stamp out corruption? 70

3.5 Is there less corruption than there was twenty years ago-or more? 71

3.6 Do government scandals mean that corruption is getting worse? 73

Case Study: The Peruvian Vladivideos 75

3.7 Are anticorruption campaigns smoke screens for political vendettas? 77

3.8 Have developed countries merely legalized corruption with money in politics? 78

3.9 Why aren't there just two levels of corruption in the world-high and low? 79

3.10 What did we learn in chapter 3? 81

4 What Are the Consequences of Corruption? 83

4.1 Does corruption reduce economic growth? 83

4.2 How does corruption affect the regulation of business (and vice versa)? 86

4.3 How does corruption affect worker welfare? 89

4.4 What are the consequences of corruption in public construction? 92

4.5 Does corruption increase economic inequality? 95

4.6 Does corruption reduce trust In government? 98

4.7 Are some types of corruption more damaging than others? Part I: Centralized versus decentralized corruption 101

Case Study: Extortion in San Pedro Sula 104

4.8 Are some types of corruption more damaging than others? Part II: Uncertainty 106

4.9 Are some types of corruption more damaging than others? Part III: Holding up businesses via corruption 109

4.10 How do natural resources affect corruption-and how does corruption affect the environment? 112

4.11 Does corruption have any benefits? 117

4.12 What did we learn in chapter 4? 118

5 Who Is Involved in Corruption, and Why? 121

5.1 Why do civil servants take bribes? 121

5.2 Why do politicians extort bribes? 124

Case Study: Profiting from political office in India 126

5.3 How do we incorporate morality into our model of bribe giving and taking? 130

5.4 How do politicians foster corruption among bureaucrats? 132

5.5 Why do individual companies pay bribes? 136

Case Study: The value of political connections in Indonesia and in the United States 137

5.6 Why don't companies band together to refuse to pay bribes? 144

5.7 What do ordinary people think about corruption? 146

5.8 If they don't like corruption, why do individual citizens pay bribes? 147

5.9 What did we learn in chapter 5? 149

6 What Are the Cultural Bases of Corruption? 151

6.1 What is meant by a culture of corruption? 151

6.2 Can we change individual attitudes toward corruption? 155

6.3 How do cultures of corruption propagate themselves? 158

6.4 Is corruption more common in "gift-giving" cultures? 160

6.5 Is corruption more prevalent among members of some religious groups than others? 167

6.6 Are some ethnic groups predisposed to corruption? 169

6.7 What did we learn in chapter 6? 172

7 How Do Political Institutions Affect Corruption? 173

7.1 Are democratic political regimes less corrupt than autocracies? 174

7.2 Are all types of autocracies equally corrupt? 179

7.3 Do elections reduce corruption? 184

7.4 Does partisan competition reduce corruption? 187

7.5 Does single-party government perpetuate corruption? 190

7.6 Are some democratic systems of government better for reducing corruption? 192

7.7 Does political decentralization reduce corruption? 194

7.8 Do term limits limit corruption-or encourage it? 196

7.9 Do campaign finance regulations reduce corruption-or encourage it? 198

7.10 What did we learn in chapter 7? 200

8 How Do Countries Shift from High to Low Corruption? 203

8.1 Why do voters reelect corrupt politicians? 204

8.2 Does lack of information lead voters to reelect corrupt politicians? 206

8.3 Why do voters need to coordinate to get rid of corrupt officials? 210

Case Study: How Italian voters threw out a corrupt political class 215

8.4 How do external forces trigger the fight against corruption? 226

8.5 How can political leadership reduce corruption? 228

8.6 What did we learn in chapter 8? 231

9 What Can Be Done to Reduce Corruption? 233

9.1 What government policies reduce corruption? 234

9.2 Does gradual reform work as well as a "big hang" approach? 243

9.3 What tools are most effective in combating corruption? 245

9.4 How does norm change occur? 255

9.5 Can political corruption ever he entirely eradicated? 262

9.6 What did we learn in chapter 9? 264.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780190463984

0190463988

9780190463977

019046397X

OCLC:

959552334