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Steven Sampson

Steven Sampson

Professor emeritus

Steven Sampson

The anti-corruption industry: from movement to institution

Author

  • Steven Sampson

Summary, in English

This paper describes takes the concept of ‘industry’, often used pejoratively in critiques of international development, and applies it to the field of anti-corruption. The characteristics of the anti-corruption industry, including anti-corruptionist discourse, resemble that which has taken place in development aid, human rights, civil society and gender equality. The anti-corruption industry thus includes key global actors, secondary actors who look for ‘signals’, and an apparatus of understandings, knowledge, statistics and measures, all of which tend to prioritize anti-corruption institutions over anti-corruption activism. It is argued that the questionable impact of anti-corruption programs enables the anti-corruption industry to coexist along with the corruption it ostensibly is combating. Instead of viewing anti-corruption as hegemonic, we need to critically examine the consequences of the global institutionalization of anti-corruptionist discourse and anti-corruption practice.

Department/s

  • Social Anthropology

Publishing year

2010

Language

English

Pages

261-278

Publication/Series

Global Crime

Volume

11

Issue

2

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Topic

  • Social Anthropology

Keywords

  • social anthropology
  • socialantropologi
  • corruption
  • anti-corruption
  • anticorruptionism

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1744-0580