Abstract: Four recent books, taken together, offer a wealth of important insights on how we might effectively tackle corruption. All of the books’ authors agree that there is something akin to a universal understanding of what corruption is, and all dispute the idea that corruption may simply be in the eye of the beholder. However, there are also sharp disagreements—for example over whether corruption is best eliminated from the top down, or whether bottom-up approaches are more effective. If the books share one weakness, it is that they do not sufficiently emphasize the importance of getting people to believe and feel that they have fair opportunities for good lives, even after institutional and legal reforms are made. The key to tackling corruption involves taking seriously the substantive link between actual fair treatment and the belief that fair treatment prevails.
Keywords: corruption, bribery, nepotism, regulation, good governance, fairness, impartiality, ethical universalism
The full review essay is available to subscribers only. Click here for access.
More in this issue
Spring 2018 (32.1) • Review
Ethics in an Age of Surveillance: Personal Information and Virtual Identities by Adam Henschke
This book presents a philosophically sophisticated examination of metadata collection and the ethical issues that it raises.
Spring 2018 (32.1) • Review
Environmental Success Stories: Solving Major Ecological Problems & Confronting Climate Change by Frank M. Dunnivant
Global environmental challenges such as climate change are sometimes viewed as so daunting and complex that we can only aim to mitigate rather than solve ...
Spring 2018 (32.1) • Review
Briefly Noted: Dictators without Borders and The Fateful Triangle
The editors review two recent books, Dictators without Borders: Power and Money in Central Asia, and The Fateful Triangle: Race, Ethnicity, Nation.