Publisher's Synopsis
This book aims to probe behind impressions asking first of all what corruption is, what factors lie behind its apparently non-problematic status in "modern" societies, and why these factors appear to be absent in underdeveloped countries. The book emphasizes the global character of corruption and the necessity of locating the phenomenon within a broader process of social and economic change. The book concludes that not only are the prospects for controlling corruption in the Third World extremely bleak, but that the abuse of public authority is likely to become more of a problem in developed countries than it has been for the past half- century.
