Global Corruption: Money, Power and Ethics in the Modern World

by Laurence Cockcroft

Corruption has played a pivotal role in sustaining appallingly high levels of poverty in many developing countries, particularly in relation to the deficient provision of basic services such as education and health care. It is also a major reason why growth-rate increases in Africa and South Asia have failed to benefit large segments of the population. Corruption drives the overexploitation of natural resources, capturing their value for a small elite—whether timber from Indonesia or coltan from Congo. In the developed world, corrupt funding undermines political systems and lays policy open to heavy financial lobbying. Laurence Cockcroft argues that corruption has to be seen as the result of the interplay between elite "embedded networks," greed, and organized crime. The growth of corruption has been facilitated by globalization, the integration of new and expanding markets into the world economy, and the rapid expansion of offshore financial facilities, which provide a home to largely unregulated pools of money derived from personal fortunes, organized crime, and pricing malpractice in international trade. This book shows how the current international interest in corruption follows the fifty years of the Cold War in which efforts to rein in corruption were regarded in international policymaking circles as off the table. Cockcroft describes the change of attitude from the 1990s onward and the initiatives that have been designed to combat corruption over the past twenty years—from individual prosecutors, to governments, to civil society, and to progressive business—and assesses their impact to date. By identifying the main drivers of corruption worldwide and analyzing current efforts to control them, Global Money, Power, and Ethics in the Modern World suggests ways in which the problems caused by corruption can be addressed and ultimately prevented.

288 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2012

Reviews

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Depressing account of corruption, highlights the need to struggle against it. Made some good points. Useful supplementary reading to such classics in the literature like Heidenheimer and Klitgaard. Weakest point was the chapter on world religions on corruption. Needed much more on the subject, some of which has been written already, but much aspiring theologians in all world faiths to work on.

[Edward Ng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Power corrupts, absolute power kills

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lucid and vivid account of the multifarious nature of corruption. This is a masterly synthesis of an amorphous and complex subject, delving into nature the petty corruption found a the street level and tracing the pathways that lead it in turn to leaders in local, regional, national government and beyond. Implicated are international tax havens, multinational conglomerates, and organized crime as operating in synergistic arrangements that, ultimately, disproportionately affect the poor and marginalized while denying governments of income necessary to maintain the public interest.

Corruption as a concept is generally well understood; what isn't so well known is the varying forms it assumes and the relative impacts it has on a society. Some of the fascinating topics discussed are that casual bribery is played out on a far greater scale in North Africa and Central Asia than in Africa south of the Sahara; that contemporary Chinese and Indian economic development have in some ways directly benefited from corruption; that mispricing of import and export goods takes place with the knowledge and sometimes licit consent of governments; that tax havens are natural harbours for money laundering of criminal and corporate clients, nonetheless valued by their governments--democratic or otherwise--for the ready capital they bring in.

If one is looking for a specific study of a given country, it would be best to visit the references listed. The examples are global and the author seeks to present a subject that is found in all societies, all cultures; thus as a framing of the subject, few could be better.

[Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was really good. At the start Cockcroft defines corruption quite loosely and so initially one is treated to a list of misdemeanours which are very varied, and which many would not automatically think of as "corruption" e.g. various forms of racketeering and other organised crime. However, where this book is particularly good is in its description of the impact of corruption, documenting the very real and profound impact it has on the poorest. I also thought the chapter on climate change was very good, if depressing, as I am sure Cockcroft is right that the potential for large-scale fraud, if the flows of money pledged to tackle adaptation are actually spent, is huge. I also think Cockcroft is right in his analysis of what needs to happen to improve the fight against corruption, and also the difficulties in doing so.

The book is sadly let down by a number of basic errors e.g the inability to spell Liechtenstein correctly, or Kazakhstan (page 161). Cockcroft also suggests (page 183) that the justification for the Iraq War was that Saddam was an accomplice of Bin Laden, which is surely wrong.

[Jonathan Jeckell · Rating 3 out of 5]

An overview of corruption around the world and some of the driving forces at various levels that perpetuate and promote it. I was hoping for more insights into how to combat it, since I picked up this book to help with some of my current professional endeavors. However, it didn't even give tangible advice at the policy level, much less any other level. It discussed efforts used at various levels in the past that did not work out so well, and why. It comes dangerously close at some points to making the problem so overwhelming that it becomes insurmountable. I got much more practical advice from "The Dictator's Handbook" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... , Robert Axelrod's work on cooperation, particularly "The Complexity of Cooperation" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... , Bruce Schneier's "Liars and Outliers" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... , and "Why Nation's Fail" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...