Tackling Corruption In Latin America

This book examines anti-corruption policies in Latin America. It compares best practices in public procurement and state budgets in order to provide new insights into policy design for governments, civil society organisations and international organisations engaged in the fight against corruption. The book assesses how a paradigm shift toward transparency in global governance has led to major changes in public policies in the region since the late 1990s. Using Uruguay and Chile as case studies, it then demonstrates the causal mechanisms linking transparency institutionalisation to corruption control. The book also offers recommendations for research and practice about the importance of coherent public accountability systems, that combine citizen oversight over government with government responsibility towards non-state actors. It will appeal to scholars and students of public policy, public administration and governance in Latin America, as well as those interested in political corruption.

Shihata, and Laurence Whitehead.

In recent years, corruption has become a major threat to political systems around the world due to its ability to damage and destabilize national as well as international democratic institutions. Since the end of the Cold War, corruption has not entirely changed in its pathology. However, this phenomenon has become a serious political and economic danger for states and regions, especially in Latin America. This book analyzes recent concerns raised by the problem of this region, focusing on three countries: Argentina, Chile and Ecuador. It gives an overview of definitions, forms and typologies of corruption as well as its causes and effects. Moreover, the book introduces and discusses different approaches offered as solutions to corruption. The case studies allow a possible explanation of the degree of propensity that these countries show towards corruption.

This book investigates the history, development, and current state of anti-corruption agencies in Latin America. In recent decades, specialized anti-corruption agencies have sprung up as countries seek to respond to corruption and to counter administrative and political challenges. However, the characteristics, resources, power, and performance of these agencies reflect the political and economic environment in which they operate. This book draws on a range of case studies from across Latin America, considering both national anti-corruption bodies and agencies created and administered by, or in close coordination with, international organizations. Together, these stories demonstrate the importance of the political will of reformers, the private interests of key actors, the organizational space of other agencies, the position of advocacy groups, and the level of support from the public at large. This book will be a key resource for researchers across political science, corruption studies, development, and Latin American Studies. It will also be a valuable guide for policy makers and professionals in NGOs and international organizations working on anti-corruption advocacy and policy advice.

Recent corruption scandals have shown the negative effects that corruption may have in countries around the world, including those of the Latin American and Caribbean region. The Inter-American Development Bank has therefore convened an independent group of experts composed by eight governance and anti-corruption scholars and practitioners to identify innovative and effective approaches to combat corruption in the region. Drawing on the members’ decades of experience, this report analyzes the key features of corruption in the region and proposes an ambitious agenda toward more systemic transformation. The report targets a series of measures aimed at strengthening the rule of law and public institutions, addressing state capture, and helping to meet citizens’ aspirations for sustainable and inclusive development. Hence, the report recommends a multi-layered approach that requires collective action by governments, the private sector, civil society, and international institutions to tackle the roots of corruption and capture through global, regional, and domestic initiatives.

In Corruption in Latin America the reader is presented with an alternative starting point for understanding corruption in this key region. The author asserts that corruption is a stable and rational social and organizational mechanism. Seen through this lens, we can begin to understand why it persists, and how to implement strategies to control corruption effectively. Beginning with an in-depth, nuanced examination of the concept of corruption, the author establishes the theoretical basis for viewing corruption as a social construct. An analysis of the experiences of four countries in the region – Argentina, Brazil, Guatemala and Mexico – provides the reader with concrete data from which they can understand how and why these behaviors are reproduced, validated, and tolerated in everyday settings between governments and citizens, governments and firms, and firms and clients. Once we see corruption as the socially sanctioned norm for getting business done, we can begin to produce and propose effective solutions to reduce corruption in Latin America by designing and implementing instruments that transform this dynamic. This rigorous and original approach will challenge the reader’s assumptions about corruption, and will appeal to students of corporate governance, international business, public management, and business ethics.

This text provides a comparative look at corruption within Latin America. Through case study topics, the levels of corruption, how democratic rule is affected, how it contributes to poverty and inequality, and the level of citizen reaction are all discussed. The authors also seek to provide the basic tools needed to understand this emerging subfield and to incorporate a basic knowledge of corruption into a broader understanding of Lain American politics.