The Political Dimensions of Corruption Cleanups: A Framework for Analysis

Abstract

Political corruption has been a pervasive and persistent phenomenon throughout history. It is found today in diverse degrees and forms in all types of political systems. The subject has long been of interest to philosophers, historians, and social scientists, but discussion has intensified significantly since the mid 1960s with the study of modernization and development. There are relatively few efforts, however, to systematically study cleanups, that is, government-announced campaigns to curb or eliminate corruption. The intent of this essay is to provide a conceptual framework in which we can examine cleanups within and across states. We begin with a synthesis of the abundant work on corruption and an examination of the tangential literature on cleanups. We conclude with several generalizations about the political aspects of cleanups, particularly their political contexts, stimuli, objectives, strategies, and consequences. These generalizations are derived primarily from a survey of twenty-five Middle Eastern and North African states covering a seventeen year period to confirm tentatively the empirical relevance of our propositions. Case examples from elsewhere are cited to illustrate the applicability of our propositions outside the Middle East, although further confirmation awaits more thorough investigation from other regions.

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