Corruption in the Contemporary World

Theory, Practice, and Hotspots

Jonathan Mendilow, Ilan Peleg

• Publisher: Lexington Books
• Year: 2014
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9780739194690
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Comparative Politics
• Index: Politics & International Relations

This book deals with large-scale, systemic corruption, a phenomenon that it identifies as part of the political landscape in most, if not all, societies of the contemporary world. While the analysis is grounded in the political thought of earlier thinkers, especially Edmund Burke, and integrates the insights of several modern analysts of corruption, the volume offers a new, updated theoretical perspective on the topic. This perspective reflects deep concerns with corruption in a world facing accelerated social transition, increased economic polarization, and growing distrust toward political elites in many countries.

This book approaches corrupt practices both theoretically and empirically, offering the perspectives of scholars who come to the topic from different traditions and cultures. It contains the collective efforts of members of the Research Committee on Political Finance and Public Corruption of the International Political Science Association. In formulating a comprehensive approach on corruption, the volume offers insights in regard to new developments in the United States, in Middle Eastern countries (especially in the wake of the Arab Spring), in several European counties (Austria, Italy, Spain), as well as in the People's Republic of China. The analysis goes beyond the traditional legal definitions of corruption or purely economic views of it and focuses more broadly on institutional, cultural, and normative dimensions of this globally important phenomenon.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Preface and Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• The Meaning of Corruption in World Opinion
• The Shifting Landscape of Corruption in the United States
• Can Public Financing and Citizens United Coexist?
• Corruption and the Arab Spring
• Ancient Democracy and the Modern Era
• The Austrian Way
• Corruptible Competition
• Tackling Corruption, Finally?
• Corruption Perception and Collective Action
• State Capitalism and Corruption
• Anthropological Approaches to Corruption
• Index
• Contributors to the Volume