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Curated by Project Syndicate

The State of Corruption

16 commentaries

In today’s major emerging countries, corruption is undermining economic performance, weakening political stability, and even endangering national security. But at what point is the cure – such as the massive purge launched by President Xi Jinping in China – worse than the disease?

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  1. Graft or Growth in China?
    Liu Zhijun china railway minister Fan Rujun/ZumaPress

    Graft or Growth in China?

    May 4, 2015 Yang Yao believes that the benefits of rooting out corruption vastly outweigh the costs.

  2. Good-Government Authoritarianism?
    Corruption sign government politics Erlend Aasland/Flickr

    Good-Government Authoritarianism?

    Apr 23, 2015 Alfred Stepan & Richa Maheshwari argue that, Singapore notwithstanding, democracies are better at fighting corruption.

  3. The Challenge of Russia’s Decline
    Vladimir Putin Alexei Druzhinin/ZumaPress

    The Challenge of Russia’s Decline

    Apr 14, 2015 Joseph S. Nye, Jr. asks how the West can constrain but not isolate a country that has less and less to lose.

  4. The Trials of Asian Democracy
    Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim support sign Hafiz Sohaimi/ZumaPress

    The Trials of Asian Democracy

    Mar 31, 2015 Yuriko Koike considers the political implications of prosecutions aimed at a growing list of opposition leaders.

  5. Dirty Money and Development
    indrawati4_getty images_corruption Getty Images

    Dirty Money and Development

    Jan 30, 2015 Sri Mulyani Indrawati highlights increasingly effective international efforts to rein in illicit financial transactions.

  6. Emperor Xi’s Dilemma
    patten48_Antonio MasielloGetty Images_xi jinping Antonio Masiello/Getty Images

    Emperor Xi’s Dilemma

    Jan 21, 2015 Chris Patten argues that the success of China's anti-corruption drive presupposes a more open society.

  1. velasco150_PAUL ELLISAFP via Getty Images_voting PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images

    In Praise of First-Past-the-Post

    Andrés Velasco explains why Britain’s electoral system is better than all the plausible alternatives.
  2. slaughter105_JACK GUEZAFP via Getty Images_womenwagepeace Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

    Peacebuilding in the Middle East Requires Women

    Anne-Marie Slaughter & Xanthe Scharff argue that negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians must no longer be the province of men.
  3. varoufakis117_JULIEN DE ROSAAFP via Getty Images_macron JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images

    Macron and Europe’s Centrists Are Out of Good Options

    Yanis Varoufakis shows that an intractable economic conundrum lies behind the current impasse in French politics.
  4. quesada3_ Lokman Vural ElibolAnadolu via Getty Images_immigration Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images

    Immigration Does Not Start at the US Border

    Carlos Alvarado-Quesada laments the failure of Republicans and Democrats alike to address the root causes of migration.
  5. landau4_Getty Images_AI money Getty Images/Anton Petrus

    Will AI Kill Off Money?

    Jean-Pierre Landau considers some of the underappreciated implications of an economy run entirely by machines.
  6. op_krauze1_Fine Art ImagesHeritage ImagesGetty Images_spinoza Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images

    A Philosopher for Our Times

    Enrique Krauze shows that, given rising illiberalism, the seventeenth-century thinker Baruch Spinoza is as relevant as ever.
  7. snower8_Getty Images Getty Images

    A New Worldview for Troubled Times

    Dennis J. Snower proposes four principles to guide policymaking and global negotiations in the age of climate change.
  8. moyo29_Carl CourtGetty Images_FTSE Carl Court/Getty Images

    Navigating Today’s Frothy Financial Markets

    Dambisa Moyo offers a basic framework for assessing the risk of new bubbles and their potential spillover effects.
  9. asadullah16_ MUNIR UZ ZAMANAFP via Getty Images_bangladesh MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images

    An Arab Spring for Bangladesh?

    M. Niaz Asadullah argues that young protestors could help the country chart a democratic course and achieve sustainable growth.

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