Saturday, November 20, 2010

Syndromes of Corruption: Wealth, Power, and Democracy

International Anti-Corruption Day is 9 December. The UN General Assembly designated 9 December as International Anti-Corruption Day. This decision was taken in order to raise awareness of corruption and of the role of the United Nations Convention against Corruption in combating and preventing it.




Syndromes of Corruption: Wealth, Power, and Democracy
By Johnston, Michael.
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. Johnston uses statistical measures to identify societies in each group, and case studies to show that the expected syndromes do arise. Winner of the 2009 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order.Michael Johnston is Charles A. Dana Professor of Political Science at Colgate University.