Continuity and Change in Public Attitudes toward Corruption

Senters, Kelly; Weitz-Shapiro, Rebecca; Winters, Matthew S.

doi:10.4324/9781315543871-2

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…People tolerate government corruption for various reasons, such as believing that it does not matter as long as officials do their jobs, that corruption is an inevitable or natural state of affairs, or that corruption is beneficial because it allows people to avoid burdensome government regulations. Though public attitudes towards officials have changed in recent decades, a common saying in Brazil for much of the 20th century was ‘he steals, but he gets things done’ (Senters et al 2018). In countries where state power is harsh and arbitrary, citizens may routinely rely on paying bribes to protect their livelihoods or even their lives.…”

Section: When Is Corruption Costly?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Autocrat's Corruption Dilemma

Carothers

2021

Gov. & oppos.

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A large body of scholarship shows that autocrats can use corruption strategically to strengthen their political hold, such as by distributing rents to their supporters. However, this scholarship often overlooks how corruption may also politically damage autocrats. I argue that corruption often brings substantial political costs alongside its advantages, resulting in a ‘corruption dilemma’ for autocrats. I show that in recent years, public anger over corruption has led to numerous anti-government protests and has been a major cause of autocrats being ousted from power. How politically costly corruption is depends on factors such as the public's tolerance for corruption, whether the autocrat is accountable to quasi-democratic institutions and whether the autocrat can credibly claim to be fighting corruption. The case of Malaysia illustrates how relying on corrupt practices to stay in power can backfire even in a long-standing authoritarian regime. My analysis advances our understanding of corruption's mixed role in authoritarian durability and authoritarian strategies of rule.

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Section: When Is Corruption Costly?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Autocrat's Corruption Dilemma

Carothers

2021

Gov. & oppos.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Senters, Weitz-Shapiro and Winters (2019) addresses the theme of corruption, a perennial leitmotif of Brazilian politics and one that has assumed greater importance in public debate since 2005 thanks to the Mensalão scandal, itself reinforced by the June 2013 protests and Operation Lava-Jato from 2014. The authors seek to provide an overview of attitudinal patterns related to corruption and explanatory factors for them.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%