Corrupt Cities: A Practical Guide to Cure and Prevention

by Robert Klitgaard, H. Lindsey Parris

Book by Klitgaard, Robert, Parris, H. Lindsey

Genres: Economics, Politics

162 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1999

Reviews

[Aayush Raj · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Corruption is an economic crime of calculation. If the probability of being caught is small and the penalty is mild and the pay-off is large relative to the positive incentives facing the government official, then we will tend to find corruption."

The book is handy as also simply written. The book is actually a practical guide and can be used by anyone trying to fight the menace of corruption.

[Nara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The authors discuss the definition of corruption as well as the shaping of anti-corruption policy, and they apply strategies with actual case studies such as Hong Kong and La Paz. The book focuses on the prevention measures through promoting practical strategies of how to cope with systematic corruption. In addition, it includes relevant evidence of why efforts to fight corruption are not always successful. Klitgaard, MacLean-Abaroa, and Parris (2000) argues that “many anti-corruption efforts fail because they take an exclusively legalistic approach or rely on appeals to morality”, and this statement is proved by detailed description of the anti-corruption reforms, which has been led by city mayor MacLean-Abaroa in the 1980s and the assessment of these reforms in 1996.