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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. Matt Gush/Getty Images

    The US Economy’s Trust Deficit

    Michael Spence considers the causes and consequences of Americans’ declining faith in media and government.
  2. halland9_FREDRIK VARFJELLNTBAFP via Getty Images_norwaynaturalgas Fredrik Varfjell/NTB/AFP via Getty Images

    Norway Is a Ukraine War Profiteer

    Håvard Halland & Knut Anton Mork argue that the country should give its windfall gains from gas exports to those on the front lines.
  3. gahnberg1_NurPhotoGettyImages_china_mobile_changing_piles

    Navigating the Risks of Digital Public Infrastructure

    Carl Gahnberg calls for guardrails and policy guidelines to prevent governments from abusing the policy paradigm.
  4. gill10_Nhac NguyenGettyImages_vietnam_street_vendor Nhac Nguyen/Getty Images

    Services Are the New Road to Development

    Indermit Gill & Aaditya Mattoo explain why developing countries need a new paradigm to replace the old manufacturing-led model.
  5. dalay4_GAVRIIL GRIGOROVPOOLAFP via Getty Images_putin Gavril Griforov/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

    Russia Just Lost Its Great-Power Status

    Galip Dalay explains why the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has diminished the Kremlin’s global influence.
  6. moyo30_sesameGetty Images_philanthropy sesame/Getty Images

    Twelve Questions for Philanthropists

    Dambisa Moyo offers practical advice to those who want to contribute effectively to charitable causes.
  7. op_aschecter1_Westend61Getty Images_books Westend61/Getty Images

    PS Commentators’ Best Reads in 2024

    PS editors

    At the end of a year of domestic and international upheaval, Project Syndicate commentators share their favorite books from the past 12 months. Covering a wide array of genres and disciplines, this year’s picks provide fresh perspectives on the defining challenges of our time and how to confront them.

    ask Project Syndicate contributors to select the books that resonated with them the most over the past year.
  8. seid1_Reinhard Dirscherlullstein bild via Getty Images_seagrass Reinhard Dirscherlullstein bild via Getty Images

    The World Needs Ocean-Based Climate Solutions

    Ilana Seid calls for creative mechanisms for financing investment in our planet’s largest carbon sink.
  9. varoufakis122_Spencer PlattGetty Images_wallstreet Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    The West Is Not Dying, but It Is Working on It

    Yanis Varoufakis argues that Western power is alive and well, but the lofty values that once sustained it have been abandoned.

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