- Identify, analyse and evaluate core concepts, theories, and
issues in the study of corruption
- Apply concepts and theories of corruption to identify, analyse,
and evaluate the causes and consequence of corruption as well as
policy responses to corruption in advanced and emerging
economies
- Identify, analyse, and evaluate causes and consequences of
corruption in a comparative perspective.
- Analyse cases and empirical evidence on corruption using the
concepts and theories introduced in the course.
- Make a clear, coherent, and well-reasoned analysis of issues of
corruption based upon concepts and theories introduced in the
course, methods from the social sciences, and a comprehensive
understanding of the theories and approaches employed on the
course
|
|
Corruption is a pervasive problem in both advanced and emerging
economies. Highly profiled cases of political, administrative, and
corporate corruption make media headlines on a regular basis, as
witnessed in 2018 by Danske Bank’s money laundering scandal.
Indeed, cases of grand corruption often involve high-ranking public
officials and corporate executives, such as the recent corruption
charges levelled against international oil companies Shell and Eni
over a deal brokered with Nigerian government officials. In other
instances, money and favours are traded for votes and political
influence in ways that skew political decision-making processes.
Corruption generally involves the abuse and exploitation of
entrusted powers so as to secure private gains. This type of
corruption permeates many aspects of political systems,
interactions between voters and politicians, citizen access to
public services, the relations between corporations and
governments, as well as the institutional environment that
businesses operate within. While corruption is sometimes said
to “grease the wheels of business”, today it is widely
recognized that corruption carries significant economic and social
costs: It harms investment and economic growth, adversely affects
public service provision to economically disadvantaged groups, and
shapes the business environment that companies operate within. In
spite of this, corruption continues to thrive around the world – in
both business and politics. This course considers the causes and
consequences of corruption – as well as anti-corruption policies
that can be used to tackle the problem. These issues will be
addressed by inquiring into political, administrative, and
corporate corruption: Why do politicians, public officials, and
business actors engage in corruption? What are the economic and
political consequences of corruption? And what policies can be
devised to reduce and fight corruption? In addressing these
questions, we will engage in debates over various types of
corruption – such as bribes extorted from citizens by politicians
and government officials, kick-backs flowing between multinational
corporations and high-ranking government officials, corporate
fraud, and state capture. We will also consider issues that are
located in a “grey zone”, such rent-seeking, lobbying, and the
“revolving door” between business and government. The course will
introduce theories and approaches that help us understand and
analyse corruption, and it will engage with empirical material and
cases of political, administrative, and corporate corruption from
around the world that serve to highlight the real-world relevance
and impact of corruption – as well as how governments and
businesses can fight it.
|
|
Suggested readings
- Fisman, Ray and Miriam Golden (2017). Corruption: What
Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Fisman, Ray and Edward Miguel (2008). Economic Gangsters:
Corruption, Violence, and the Poverty of Nations. New Jersey:
Princeton University Press.
- Rose-Ackerman, Susan (2016). Corruption and Government:
Causes, Consequences, and Reform 2nd ed. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
- Rose-Ackerman, Susan (2006, ed.). International Handbook of
the Economics of Corruption. Cheltenham: Edward
Elgar.
- Rothstein, Bo and Aiysha Varraich (2017). Making Sense of
Corruption. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.
|
Permalink