The Historical Roots of Corruption: Mass Education, Economic Inequality, and State Capacity
Eric M. Uslaner
(Author)
Description
Why does corruption persist over long periods of time? Why is it so difficult to eliminate? Suggesting that corruption is deeply rooted in the underlying social and historical political structures of a country, Uslaner observes that there is a powerful statistical relationship between levels of mass education in 1870 and corruption levels in 2010 across 78 countries. He argues that an early introduction of universal education is shown to be linked to levels of economic equality and to efforts to increase state capacity. Societies with more equal education gave citizens more opportunities and power for opposing corruption, whilst the need for increased state capacity was a strong motivation for the introduction of universal education in many countries. Evidence for this argument is presented from statistical models, case studies from Northern and Southern Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as a discussions of how some countries escaped the 'trap' of corruption.Product Details
Price
$25.99
$24.17
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Publish Date
October 12, 2017
Pages
216
Dimensions
5.9 X 8.9 X 0.5 inches | 0.65 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9781108403900
BISAC Categories:
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About the Author
Eric M. Uslaner is Professor of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is also Senior Research Fellow at the Center for American Law and Political Science, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Chongqing, China and Honorary Professor of Political Science at Aarhus University, Denmark. He is the founding editor of the Sage University Papers on Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences and has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Politics, American Politics Quarterly, Social Science Quarterly, Political Research Quarterly and the Journal of Trust Research. Professor Uslaner is author or editor of twelve books, including Corruption, Inequality, and the Rule of Law (Cambridge University Press, 2008) and The Moral Foundations of Trust (Cambridge University Press, 2002). He received his PhD from Indiana University.
Reviews
'In advancing his pioneering writing on corruption, Eric M. Uslaner shows how legacies matter, especially the bequests of education. Combining a comparative historical analysis of schooling at all levels in the late nineteenth century with an appraisal of today's levels of corruption, his innovative book elegantly identifies state and market mechanisms that connect then to now, and pinpoints pathways out of historical traps.' Ira I. Katznelson, Ruggles Professor of Political Science and History, Columbia University
'Eric M. Uslaner's account of corruption belongs to the most thoughtful in theory, the most convincing in eloquence and the most conclusive in terms of the breadth and depth of its empirical evidence. Excelling on so many different levels in the key domain of 'good governance' is a unique achievement.' Christian Welzel, Leuphana Universität Lüneburg, Germany
'Eric M. Uslaner's account of corruption belongs to the most thoughtful in theory, the most convincing in eloquence and the most conclusive in terms of the breadth and depth of its empirical evidence. Excelling on so many different levels in the key domain of 'good governance' is a unique achievement.' Christian Welzel, Leuphana Universität Lüneburg, Germany
