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Misunderstanding African politics: corruption & the governance agenda

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  • Morris Szeftel

Abstract

Political corruption ‐ the misuse of public office or public responsibility for private (personal or sectional) gain ‐ has been an important theme of the neo‐liberal policies of adjustment, conditionality and democratization in Africa. Having identified the state as ‘the problem’, and liberalization and democratization as ‘the solution’ to that problem, it was inevitable that efforts to eradicate and control the widespread corruption characterising post‐colonial politics would be given a high priority by ‘the donors’. From the outset, proponents of structural reform linked political corruption to authoritarianism as an explanation of developmental failure, thereby identifying the arguments for democratization and ‘good governance’ with those for liberalization. This paper explores the way in which corruption has been understood in this ‘governance’ agenda and the efforts that have been made to control it by improving institutional performance and policing ‐ greater transparency and accountability, more effective oversight and punishment ‐ and by building a political culture intolerant of corruption. In general, however, legal and administrative reform has produced disappointing results and corruption has flourished and even increased. Failure has compounded cynicism and weakened faith in democratic change. Such failures suggest: firstly, that the anti‐corruption strategies pursued by international donors and imposed on African debtors are inadequate because of weaknesses in their conception of the state; secondly, that the reforms introduced through liberalization (a weakening of the state, deregulation and privatization) create new conditions in which corruption can flourish; and, thirdly, that fundamental features of African politics will need to change before such anti‐corruption measures can hope to succeed.

Suggested Citation

  • Morris Szeftel, 1998. "Misunderstanding African politics: corruption & the governance agenda," Review of African Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(76), pages 221-240.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:revape:v:25:y:1998:i:76:p:221-240
    DOI: 10.1080/03056249808704311
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    Cited by:

    1. Toeba Thato, 2018. "Corruption in Public Procurement in Lesotho," The Law and Development Review, De Gruyter, vol. 11(2), pages 397-431, December.
    2. Ocheje Paul D., 2011. "When Law Fails: A Theory of Self-Enforcing Anti-Corruption Legislation in Africa," The Law and Development Review, De Gruyter, vol. 4(3), pages 238-280, September.
    3. Vicente Chua Reyes Jr, 2009. "Systemic Corruption and the Programme on Basic Education in the Philippine Department of Education," Journal of Developing Societies, , vol. 25(4), pages 481-510, October.
    4. Aheli Chowdhury, 2019. "Anti-Corruption Movement: A Story of the Making of the Aam Admi Party and the Interplay of Political Representation in India," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 189-198.
    5. Michele Tantardini & Jean-Claude Garcia-Zamor, 2015. "Organizational Social Capital and Anticorruption Policies: An Exploratory Analysis," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 599-609, December.
    6. Petricca, Kadia & Bekele, Asfaw & Berta, Whitney & Gibson, Jennifer & Pain, Clare, 2018. "Advancing methods for health priority setting practice through the contribution of systems theory: Lessons from a case study in Ethiopia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 165-174.
    7. Melia, Elvis, 2020. "African jobs in the digital era: Export options with a focus on online labour," IDOS Discussion Papers 3/2020, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).

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