Detecting corruption in developing countries : identifying causes/strategies for action

Excessive government discretion, bribery and abuse of power for private benefit are widespread phenomena in developing countries. This corruption results in hundreds and thousands of citizens going without the critical public services they are entitled to or rely on. Corruption occurs at all levels of society, from local and national governments, civil society, judiciary functions and small and large businesses alike, leaving little room for a country's development and economic growth.

To combat corruption in developing countries, policy makers must understand the problem and devise a meaningful strategy that attacks its underlying causes and not just deals with its symptoms. Detecting Corruption merges scholarship on corruption assessments with practical techniques on ways practitioners and policy makers can implement anticorruption assistance. The authors argue that assessments need to adopt a comprehensive whole of government approach that examines all key sectors where there are corruption vulnerabilities. Strong accountability/control measures need to be designed and implemented across all sectors into a multidimensional strategy/program.

Detailed case studies from the authors' work in Ukraine, Honduras, Senegal and Timor Leste show the effectiveness of the comprehensive approach to corruption.

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An interesting project that seems ideally suited for a very specific community (the practitioner class within the development community), this work is perhaps so specialized that other interested parties might not find it as useful. Stemming from a desire to help what is called the "third wave" of anti-corruption programs (i.e., meaningful assessments of corruption that could drive improved strategic approaches and programs), the book is cogently organized with a mix of general theoretical considerations and in-depth case studies and clearly aims to make a positive contribution to the policy community. While the chapter breakdown and goal organization make intuitive sense, there is perhaps one glaring omission that undermines the true reach and scope of the work: it does not address the significant literature that places the development community itself firmly within the explanatory framework contributing to the problem of corruption within developing countries. As a result, the work is guilty of not fully investigating all of the relevant factors contributing to the problem. It is a solid work, but perhaps needs to hold a mirror up to the development aid community more closely. Summing Up: Optional. Research and professional collections. M. D. Crosston Bellevue University

Illustrations and Tables	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
1 Corruption Detectives	p. 1
2 Corruption Hurts	p. 23
3 Assessing Corruption	p. 43
4 Self-Assessment	p. 51
5 An Integrated Diagnostic Approach	p. 75
6 Ukraine 1 (2005)	p. 113
7 Ukraine 2 (2006-2009)	p. 149
8 Senegal (2007)	p. 157
9 Honduras (2008)	p. 195
10 Timor Leste (2009)	p. 235
11 Toward Accountable Solutions	p. 269
Annex A Anticorruption Resource Links	p. 283
Annex B Self-Assessment Checklist	p. 287
Bibliography	p. 297
Index	p. 303

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Table of Contents