The Political Economy of Corruption

Abstract

One of the major obstacles to postcolonial Africa’s development and nation building is the problem of corruption. Using a political economy perspective, this chapter examines corruption as a social problem in postcolonial Africa. It begins by examining the conceptual debates about what corruption is, and whether it takes place only within the state or also within private corporations. This is followed by an analysis of the social and diverse consequences of corruption. The chapter underscores how corruption undermines the effective functioning of public institutions, which in turn creates other social problems, thereby creating a vicious circle. Using a longue duree perspective, the chapter outlines the constellation of factors that created a conducive environment for corruption in postcolonial Africa. It concludes by stressing the virtues of using the political economy perspective to study corruption as a social problem through an examination of the issue at different levels of analysis.