The Watchful Eye & the Cracking Whip: Field Experiments on Corruption & Inefficiency in the Americas

The Watchful Eye & the Cracking Whip: Field Experiments on Corruption & Inefficiency in the Americas
Date
Fri April 19th 2019, 12:30 - 1:20pm
Event Sponsor
Center for Latin American Studies
Location
Bolivar House, 582 Alvarado Row, Stanford, CA
Speaker:

Corruption vulnerabilities exist where government officials have power over the provision of goods and the imposition of costs. Corruption may result from these conditions if officials calculate that the benefits of abusing their power are greater than the risks involved in getting caught. By a similar logic, the formula for controlling corruption would increase the probability of detecting bribery, embezzlement, and other forms of malfeasance through enhanced monitoring—the watchful eye—and then applying penalties—cracking the whip—in response to wrongdoing. However, the common policy response to corruption often emphasizes only the first of the two mechanisms: governments may prioritize transparency measures, but they often avoid the risks associated with confronting corruption. This book examines approaches to promoting accountability based on analysis of the implementation of Mexico’s Freedom of Information Act, and on the results of three field experiments on corruption control that the author conducted in the City of Queretaro in Central Mexico, in urban and peri-urban districts in Peru, and in New York City. The book concludes with evidence-based recommendations on what works in the fight against corruption. Mainly, transparency is a necessary but not sufficient mechanism for accountability. The watchful eye and the cracking whip approach to anticorruption can prove cost-effective and can have lasting impact.

Paul Lagunes is an assistant professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. His research focuses on corruption, especially as it affects subnational governments in the Americas. Two basic questions motivate his research: First, how does corruption actually work in practice? Second, what tools are available for limiting corruption’s harmful effects? By relying on field experiments, Lagunes offers insights on corruption’s regressive impact on society, the factors maintaining a corrupt status quo, and the conditions under which anti-corruption monitoring is most effective.

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