Corruption knows no geographic boundaries, and its impact is devastating, particularly for developing countries. While recent revelations of massive corruption have made the issue a high priority for voters, the obstacles to effectively tackling corruption can prove to be persistent. That, in turn, can lead to popular disenchantment with leaders and democratic processes.
The world is constantly reminded that corruption knows no geographic boundaries. Over the past few years, in South Africa, Peru and Malaysia, leaders were forced to step down, and in some cases convicted, over accusations of graft and corruption. A money laundering investigation launched in Brazil in 2008 expanded to take down a vast network of politicians and business leaders across Central and South America over the course of the following decade. And former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration saw a steady stream of officials who were forced to resign after being caught using their offices for private gain.
The impact of actual corruption is devastating, whether it siphons money from government coffers or drives policy that is not in the public interest. The effects can be particularly pernicious in developing countries, where budgets are tight and needs are vast. The United Nations estimates that corruption costs $2.6 trillion in losses every year.
But even the perception of corruption is dangerous, undermining people’s faith in government institutions, a phenomenon that is helping to drive a crisis of democracy worldwide. In Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perceptions Index, most governments are seen as corrupt by their own citizens. The rise of populist governments in particular poses challenges. By their nature, populists tend to define themselves against a corrupt elite, but once in office, they often weaken institutions and divert attention from their own use of the levers of power to enrich themselves.
But while the fight against corruption has claimed numerous successes in recent years, it has also faced a backlash by entrenched elites keen to protect their privileges—and avoid accountability. Meanwhile, anti-corruption efforts can also be weaponized by opportunistic leaders to target their political rivals.
WPR has covered corruption in detail and continues to examine key questions about future developments. How prominently will support for anti-corruption efforts feature in U.S. President Joe Biden’s foreign policy? Will corruption prompt more electoral backlashes around the world? Will high expectations lead to popular disenchantment when anti-corruption efforts fail? Below are some of the highlights of WPR’s coverage.
Latest Coverage
Ramaphosa’s Anti-Graft Credentials Just Took Another Hit at a Bad Time
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa rose to power five years ago pledging to stamp out corruption in the country’s politics. But his anti-graft credentials have drawn a number of critics, and a new corruption scandal has created a political headache ahead of the biggest fight of Ramaphosa’s political life.
The Politics and Practice of Fighting Corruption
Whether in electoral backlashes or popular protests, voters increasingly make their outrage over corruption known. Whether or not they succeed in bringing down tainted governments and leaders depends on a number of factors, ranging from domestic institutions to international support.
- Why rooting out corruption is key to addressing a wide range of other challenges, in To Address Inequality and Poverty, Start By Tackling Corruption
- How endemic corruption shaped Honduras’ recent presidential election campaign, in Honduras’ Presidential Election Is a Choice Between Uncertainty and Ruin
- Why it’s time for the Biden administration to back up its anti-corruption words with actions, in Biden’s Global Anti-Graft Agenda Is Still a Work in Progress
- How corruption and impunity are at the heart of recent unrest in South Africa, in South Africa’s Protests Reveal a Clash of Political Cultures
The Challenge of Tackling Corruption
As recent revelations of massive corruption have made the issue a high priority for voters, politicians have been quick to capitalize on the appeal of anti-corruption rhetoric on the campaign trail. But once in office, the obstacles to effectively tackling corruption can prove to be persistent, often leading to unfulfilled expectations.
- How Angola’s president went from anti-graft crusader to authoritarian leader, in After Failing on Reforms, Angola’s Lourenco Opts for Repression
- What the murder of an organized crime prosecutor reveals about corruption in Paraguay, in Drugs, Corruption and Organized Crime Make for a Deadly Mix in Paraguay
- Why tackling corruption is not a panacea for addressing social inequality and democratic decline, in The Corruption Obsession Is a Convenient Distraction
- What Honduras’ new president can learn from other leaders’ failures when it comes to rooting out corruption, in Castro Will Have Her Hands Full Cleaning Up Honduras’ Mafia State
The Backlash Against Anti-Corruption Efforts
In some cases, success in tackling corruption can create its own problems. As entrenched elites find themselves in the crosshairs of effective investigators, they often fight back to protect their ill-gotten privileges. The results can leave institutions weakened and voters disillusioned.
- How the lack of accountability fueled Lebanon’s economic crisis, in Lebanon’s Fugitive Central Bank Chief Epitomizes the Dangers of Impunity
- Why impunity for graft in Lebanon is so hard to eradicate, in Lebanon’s New Government Is the Product of a Broken System
- How Guatemala’s political elites are insulating themselves from anti-graft campaigns, in Guatemala Has No Intention of Tackling Corruption
- Why Biden’s anti-corruption initiative is getting a chilly reception in Central America, in Biden’s ‘Root Causes’ Approach to Migration Meets Resistance in Central America
The Potential Abuses of Anti-Corruption Efforts
Because corruption is universally considered a scourge, it is often easy to mobilize public opinion against it. But that can allow ruthless political leaders to use anti-corruption efforts to purge rivals or crack down on dissent, particularly in authoritarian countries.
- How AMLO is weaponizing anti-corruption efforts in Mexico, in In Mexico, Corruption Scandals Leave No Politician Untouched—Not Even AMLO
- Why Vietnam’s anti-corruption crusade is not all good news, in The Costs of Trong’s Crusade Against Corruption in Vietnam
- Why Sierra Leone’s opposition is up in arms over an anti-corruption commission, in Is Sierra Leone’s Bio Going After Corruption, or His Adversaries?