Corruption Social Sciences And The Law

The problem of corruption, however described, dates back thousands of years. Professionals working in areas such as development studies, economics and political studies, were the first to most actively analyse and publish on the topic of corruption and its negative impacts on economies, societies and politics. There was, at that time, minimal literature available on corruption and the law. The literature and discussion on bribery and corruption, as well as on the negative impact of each and what is required to address them, particularly in the legal context, are now considerable. Corruption and anti-corruption are multifaceted and multi-disciplinary. The focus now on the law and compliance, and perhaps commercial incentives, is relatively easy. However, corruption, anti-corruption and the motivations for them are complex. If we continue to discuss, debate, engage, address corruption and anti-corruption in our own disciplinary silos, we are unlikely to significantly progress the fight against corruption. What do terms such as 'culture of integrity', 'demand accountability', ‘transparency and accountability’ and ‘ethical corporate culture’ dominating the anti-corruption discourse mean, if anything, in other disciplines? If they are meaningless, what approach would practitioners in those other disciplines suggest be adopted to address corruption. What has their experience been in the field? How can the work of each discipline contribute to the work of whole and, as such, improve our work in and understanding of anti-corruption? This book seeks to answer these questions and to understand the phenomenon more comprehensively. It will be of value to researchers, academics, lawyers, legislators and students in the fields of law, anthropology, sociology, international affairs, and business.

This volume offers a critical anthropological perspective on the hidden continuities between corruption and law. The authors argue that the two opposites, corruption and law, are inextricably linked, the possibility of the former already inscribed into the latter.

This book explores illegal forms of corruption and, more widely, moral and legal forms of corruption. The authors draw on detailed ethnographic accounts of corrupt practice at local, national and international levels. Coverage includes both Western and non-Western societies, from Italy to Latin America, to Albania, Africa and post-Soviet bureaucracy in Russia, Mongolia and Kazakhstan. There is also a chapter on corruption in the context of globalization. Key issues discussed include the problems caused by the inflated rhetoric of corruption and by the inadequacy of official definitions. The authors look at measures designed to bring corruption under some degree of control, discussing the level of legal intervention compatible with public expectations and with the dynamics of trust and responsibility. This fascinating book makes a significant contribution to our understanding of conflicting public and private moralities.

The last twenty years have witnessed an astonishing transformation: the fight against corruption has grown from a handful of local undertakings into a truly global effort. Law occupies a central role in that effort and this timely book assesses the challenges faced in using law as it too morphs from a handful of local rules into a global regime. The book presents the perspectives of a global array of scholars, of policy makers, and of practitioners. Topics range from critical theoretical understandings of the global regime as a whole, to regional and local experiences in implementing and influencing the regime, including specific legal techniques such as deferred prosecution agreements, addressing corruption issues in dispute resolution, whistleblower protection, civil and administrative prosecutions, as well as blocking statutes. The book also includes discussions of the future shape of the global regime, the emergence of transnational compliance standards, and discussions by leaders of international organizations that take a leading role in the transnationalization of anti-corruption law. The Transnationalization of Anti-Corruption Law deals with the most salient aspects of the global anti-corruption regime. It is written by people who contribute to the structure of the regime, who practice within the regime, and who study the regime. It is written for anyone interested in corruption or corruption control in general, anyone with a general interest in jurisprudence or in international law, and especially anyone who is interested in critical thinking and analysis of how law can control corruption in a global context.

This volume presents an anthropological perspective on the hidden continuities between corruption and law. The authors argue that the two opposites, corruption and law, are inextricably linked - with the possibility of the former already inscribed into the latter. Taking a critical stance towards the normative good governance agenda spearheaded by institutions such as Transparency International and the World Bank, this volume argues that by uncritically depicting corruption as an absolute evil, these anti-corruption programs disregard the close relationship that exists between corruption and state power. Addressing various aspects of a complex and ambivalent phenomenon, Corruption and the Secret of Law draws on studies from different parts of the world including Burundi, China, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico and the USA and provides a valuable resource for students, researchers and policy-makers working in this area.

This book focuses on the role of norms in the description, explanation, prediction and combat of corruption. It conceives corruption as a ubiquitous problem, constructed by specific traditions, values, norms and institutions. The chapters concentrate on the relationship between corruption and social as well as legal norms, providing comparative perspectives from different academic disciplines, theoretical and methodological backgrounds, and various country-studies. Due to the nature of social norms that are embedded in personal, local, and organizational contexts, the contributions in the volume focus in particular on the individual and institutional level of analysis (micro and meso-mechanisms). The book will be of interest to students and scholars across the fields of political science, public administration, socio-legal studies and psychology.

Corruption, generally defined as the abuse of entrusted power for private gains, has been the growing center of attention of many social scientists since the end of the cold war. Corruption can be seen in different perspectives depending on cultural background and it is defined in many spectrums by different scholars. This book provides current research on the political, economic and social issues of corruption. The first chapter begins with a review of social and political issues of a globalised economy. Chapter two presents a review of the literature on the economics of corruption. Chapter three tackles corruption in politics and public service. Chapter four discusses the procurement market from the macro-perspective and analyses the relationship between level of corruption and selected indicators of the public procurement market. Chapter five studies criminal culpability and economic crisis. Chapter six discusses gendered attitudes towards corruption and experiences with bribery. Chapter seven explores the relationship between corruption and gender inequality in Nicaragua. Chapter eight deals with the influence of multilateral anti-corruption agreements on the regulatory framework in developed countries. Chapter nine identifies the relationship between corruption and the processes of transition in West Balkan countries. Chapter ten explores corruption in the privatised public enterprises using selected privatised institutions. Chapter 11 discusses progress and constraints of civil society anti-corruption initiatives in Uganda. The final chapter analyses three cases of alleged corruption related to genetically modified foods where corruption claims based on ethical-critical logics were confronted with objective-formal counter-arguments.