Corruption In Society

Corruption in Society: Multidisciplinary Conceptualizations is the first book to address the notion of corruption in a truly multidisciplinary manner, augmented with empirical evidence. The prevalent definition in books and articles on corruption is that it is a dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those with political and/or economic power, typically involving bribery. This political-economy or public choice denotation, while very useful, is inadequate for a comprehensive understanding of the concept because the notion of corruption appears in every discipline. For example, in the field of chemistry, chemical corruption concerns (a) the incorporation of defective compounds into experiments to better simulate conditions on the early-Earth and to help us understand how the first molecules of life formed and (b) how to make chemicals appear safer, sometimes dodging restrictions on their use, by minimizing the estimates of how much is released into the environment. In order to address this shortcoming, this book provides a discipline-by-discipline conceptualization of corruption buttressed with evidence from the discipline.

This new edition of a 1999 classic shows how institutionalized corruption can be fought through sophisticated political-economic reform.

Corruption is one of the biggest global issues, ahead of extreme poverty, unemployment, the rising cost of food and energy, climate change, and terrorism. It is thought to be one of the principal causes of poverty around the globe. Its significance in the contemporary world cannot be undervalued. In this Very Short Introduction Leslie Holmes considers why the international community has only highlighted corruption as a problem in the past two decades, despite its presence throughout the millennia. Holmes explores the phenomenon from several different perspectives, from the cultural differences affecting how corruption is defined, its impact, and its various causes to the possible remedies. Providing evidence of corruption and considering ways to address it around the world, this is an important introduction to a significant and serious global issue. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

The Criminalization of India from Independence to the 1990s India is currently ranked among the ten most corrupt nations in the world. From the much-discussed nexus between the political class, the bureaucracy, businessmen and syndicates of organized crime, right down to rapacious government clerks, municipality apparatchiks and small-time swindlers, illegal projects at the cost of the national exchequer are the order of the day. According to a conservative estimate, the parallel economy in India today is worth about Rs 33,000 croresýroughly equal to the Gross Domestic Product. Chandan Mitraýs detailed and incisive study traces the history of corruption in the subcontinent, from the time of Kautilya to the Mughal era, the East India Company days and finally post-Independence India. Discussing how the malaise has become institutionalized, the author delves into details of the alleged Bofors kickbacks, the fodder and bank securities scams, and ýhawalaý money-laundering, linking these to covert government practices of using corruption as an instrument of state policy. Again, describing the proliferation and legitimization of petty corruption in everyday life, he presents a riveting account of the blatant ýhaftaý, ýchai-paniý, ýcutý and ýblacký systems of bribery that are prevalent today. Mitraýs bold and provocative analysis documents how perpetrators of corrupt practices are always ahead of the authorities in devising means of bypassing anti-corruption laws and dodging law enforcement. At the same time, outlining the authoritative steps taken by judicial activists to stem the graft, The Corrupt Society attempts to devise practical means of combating corruption. Critical and unsparing, this is a scathing, explosive account of a deeply entrenched and pervasive social evil. ýIndia clearly qualifies in Machiavelliýs second category of a corrupt society, one in which the citizenry, while actively participating in the political process through elections, is primarily engaged in promoting its own ambitions to the detriment of the common good.ý

From the prizewinning journalist and internationally recognized expert on corruption in government networks throughout the world comes a major work that looks homeward to America, exploring the insidious, dangerous networks of corruption of our past, present, and precarious future. “If you want to save America, this might just be the most important book to read now." —Nancy MacLean, author of Democracy in Chains Sarah Chayes writes in her new book, that the United States is showing signs similar to some of the most corrupt countries in the world. Corruption, she argues, is an operating system of sophisticated networks in which government officials, key private-sector interests, and out-and-out criminals interweave. Their main objective: not to serve the public but to maximize returns for network members. In this unflinching exploration of corruption in America, Chayes exposes how corruption has thrived within our borders, from the titans of America's Gilded Age (Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, J. P. Morgan, et al.) to the collapse of the stock market in 1929, the Great Depression, and FDR's New Deal; from Joe Kennedy's years of banking, bootlegging, machine politics, and pursuit of infinite wealth to the deregulation of the Reagan Revolution--undermining this nation's proud middle class and union members. She then brings us up to the present as she shines a light on the Clinton policies of political favors and personal enrichment and documents Trump's hydra-headed network of corruption, which aimed to systematically undo the Constitution and our laws. Ultimately and most importantly, Chayes reveals how corrupt systems are organized, how they enable bad actors to bend the rules so their crimes are covered legally, how they overtly determine the shape of our government, and how they affect all levels of society, especially when the corruption is overlooked and downplayed by the rich and well-educated.

Corruption is a threat to democracy and economic development in many societies. It arises in the ways people pursue, use and exchange wealth and power, and in the strength or weakness of the state, political and social institutions that sustain and restrain those processes. Differences in these factors, Michael Johnston argues, give rise to four major syndromes of corruption: Influence Markets, Elite Cartels, Oligarchs and Clans, and Official Moguls. In this 2005 book, Johnston uses statistical measures to identify societies in each group, and case studies to show that the expected syndromes do arise. Countries studied include the United States, Japan and Germany (Influence Markets); Italy, Korea and Botswana (Elite Cartels); Russia, the Philippines and Mexico (Oligarchs and Clans); and China, Kenya, and Indonesia (Offical Moguls). A concluding chapter explores reform, emphasising the ways familiar measures should be applied - or withheld, lest they do harm - with an emphasis upon the value of 'deep democratisation'.

A passionate examination of why international anti-corruption fails to deliver results and how we should understand and build good governance.

Corruption is attracting a lot of attention around the world. The paper surveys and discusses issues related to the causes, consequences, and scope of corruption and possible corrective actions. It emphasizes the costs of corruption in terms of economic growth. It also emphasizes that the fight against corruption may not be cheap and cannot be independent from the reform of the state. If certain reforms are not made, corruption is likely to continue to be a problem regardless of actions directly aimed at curtailing it.