Understanding Systemic Corruption: The Political Role of Corruption in Weakly Institutionalized Political Systems

Author: Jared Miller (World Peace Foundation, Tufts University)

Corruption is one of the most significant threats to global peace and security in the 21st century. It undermines accountable governance, diverts much-needed state resources, and is often a driver of violent conflict. In some contexts, corruption has become systemic, defining both the political system and everyday life for citizens. While there are numerous analytical frameworks to understand factors driving corruption, none have sufficiently examined the political role of corruption in weakly institutionalized political systems. Using the political marketplace as an analytic framework, this paper examines the political role that corruption plays within these contexts. It argues that in weakly institutionalized political systems, corruption is in part driven by a material need for elite political dealmaking within and outside of formal institutions. Addressing corruption in these contexts therefore requires not simply an opposition to corruption (“anti”), but a fundamental transformation of the political system. The paper provides tools to analyse the political role of corruption and discusses the implications for addressing corruption in weakly institutionalized political systems.