The Political Economy of Corruption (Routledge Frontiers of Political Economy)

Corruption, commonly defined as the misuse of public office for private gains, is multifaceted, multidimensional and ubiquitous. This edited collection, featuring contributions from leading scholars in the field of corruption, goes beyond the standard enforcement framework wherein individuals only compare the expected costs and benefits of a corrupt act. These chapters explore the political-cultural contexts, legal and regulatory process and, above all, moral and psychological factors in attempts to understand and explain corruption. The book explores a broad canvas where gender, technology, culture and institutional structures influence attitudes towards corruption.

Design and implementation of anti-corruption strategies benefit from suitable identification of these factors contributing to the prevalence and persistence of corruption. Combining theoretical and empirical studies with evidence from experiments as well as case studies, the book provides crucial state of the art in corruption research in a highly accessible manner. This book serves as a vital reference to students and scholars in economics, politics and development studies. Additionally, policymakers and development practitioners can use the insights from this book in successful design and implementation of anti-corruption policies.

Chandan Kumar Jha is Associate Professor of Finance at the Madden School of Business, Le Moyne College. He holds a Ph.D. and an M.S. in economics from Louisiana State University. Some of the topics he has worked on, or is currently working on, include the evolution of gender norms, corruption, finance and economic development, crime, entrepreneurship, international trade and socioeconomic inequality such as race and gender.

Ajit Mishra is a development economist based in Bath, UK. After graduating from the Delhi School of Economics in 1993, he has been engaged in research and lecturing at various universities, including the University of Bath, University of Dundee, Delhi School of Economics, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research and Ashoka University. He has also served as Director of the Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi. His key research areas include the study of corruption and governance, informal sector, inequality, vulnerability and poverty.

Sudipta Sarangi is Professor and Head of Department of Economics at Virginia Tech. Prior to joining Virginia Tech, he has been a distinguished professor of business administration at Louisiana State University and a program director at the National Science Foundation. His research interests range from network theory, experimental and behavioral economics to development economics. He is a research associate of GATE, University of Lyon–St. Etienne and the Lima School of Economics.