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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. haldar39_Atila AltuntasAnadolu via Getty Images_nobel prize Atila Altuntas/Anadolu via Getty Images

    Why Do Countries Prosper?

    Antara Haldar considers what this year’s Nobel Prize-winning economic research gets right, and what it overlooks.
  2. buchholz20_Mario TamaGetty Images_us manufacturing Mario Tama/Getty Images

    Made in America 2.0

    Todd G. Buchholz & Michael Mindlin foresee the US weathering the coming trade storm, thanks to its energy resources and innovation centers.
  3. mueller55_Maja HitijGetty Images_bsw Maja Hitij/Getty Images

    When the Left Goes Far Right

    Jan-Werner Mueller considers what drives some politicians to reverse their political allegiances.
  4. meng2_KalawinGetty Images_climatefinance Kalawin/Getty Images

    The Right Climate Finance for Developing Economies

    Hippolyte Fofack urges the Global North to focus on vulnerable countries’ need to invest in adaptation-related infrastructure.
  5. constantin2_Paul RatjeThe Washington Post via Getty Images_abortion pills Paul Ratje/The Washington Post via Getty Images

    Self-Managed Abortion Saves Lives

    Andrés Constantin & Katherine Mayall urge policymakers to remove the barriers preventing women from terminating unwanted pregnancies on their own.
  6. johnson180_JIM WATSONAFP via Getty Images_kamala harris JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

    Only Harris Will Deliver Shared Prosperity

    Simon Johnson says that Donald Trump’s discredited protectionism would benefit the few at the expense of the many.
  7. roubini191_JOHN WESSELSAFP via Getty Images_israelmissiles John Wessels/AFP via Getty Images

    Israel and Iran Are Likely to Escalate

    Nouriel Roubini rejects the widespread view that the conflict will be contained after the latest exchange of attacks.
  8. stiglitz343_ChipSomodevillaGettyImages_trump_goofy Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    The Perils of a Trump-Musk Economy

    Joseph E. Stiglitz

    Donald Trump is offering a vision of crony rentier capitalism that has enticed many captains of industry and finance. In catering to their wishes for more tax cuts and less regulation, he would make most Americans’ lives poorer, harder, and shorter.

    explains what a Republican victory in the 2024 election would mean for most Americans’ standard of living.
  9. galbraith37_Anna MoneymakerGetty Images_elonmusktrump Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

    Elon Musk Gets Trump’s Economic Plans Partly Right

    James K. Galbraith

    Elon Musk recently admitted that Donald Trump's policy agenda would lead to economic turmoil. But if their plan to eliminate government waste involves cuts to entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare, rather than the necessary military, diplomatic, and financial reforms, recovery will remain elusive.

    argues that only a tycoon could love Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs, deportations, and spending cuts.

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