UMass Boston

Course Overview

Description

What is corruption? Why does corruption occur? Why does it occur in some places more than in others? Why are some places better at combating it than others? These are some of the most common questions in politics, but their answer is not as straightforward as one might think, in part because the concept of corruption is somewhat slippery and public opinion in different places might see the same act as corrupt or not depending on any number of factors. This course looks into why this is the case and explores the answers that scholars have developed in regard to the other questions. The class is divided into four units which variously look at how the concept of corruption has developed over time, what its consequences are, why it develops more in some places and its structural causes, and what some of the solutions people have used overtime. In general, the class takes a comparative approach and details differences across vast regions including Africa, Asia and Latin America and how they contrast with Europe and the United States.