Political Corruption in Europe and Latin America (Studies of the Americas)

This book looks at political corruption in Latin American and Europe from both an historical and a contemporary angle. The approach is therefore comparative and interdisciplinary, bringing together scholars from history, political science, anthropology, sociology and economics. In addition to general essays, this book includes chapters analysing political corruption in individual countries: Italy, Spain, France, Great Britain, Chile, Brazil, Venezuela, Paraguay and Mexico. Front Matter....Pages i-x Introduction....Pages 1-17 Front Matter....Pages 19-19 Some Considerations on Corruption, Politics and Society in Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century Italy....Pages 21-40 Political Corruption and Reform in Bourbon Spanish America....Pages 41-63 Foreign Capital, the State and Political Corruption in Latin America Between Independence and the Depression....Pages 65-95 Democratisation and Changing Methods of Electoral Corruption in France from 1815 to 1914....Pages 97-112 Front Matter....Pages 113-113 Continuity and Change: Analysing Political Corruption in Modern Spain....Pages 115-136 Political Corruption in Italy....Pages 137-157 Corruption French Style....Pages 159-172 Politics and Public Sector Ethics: The Impact of Change in the United Kingdom....Pages 173-192 Front Matter....Pages 193-193 Clientelism and Corruption in Contemporary Brazil....Pages 195-218 Corruption in Twentieth Century Mexico....Pages 219-236 Democratisation and Institutionalised Corruption in Paraguay....Pages 237-266 Political Corruption in Venezuela....Pages 267-285 Back Matter....Pages 287-314 This book looks at political corruption in Europe and Latin America from both an historical and a contemporary angle. The approach is therefore comparative and interdisciplinary, bringing together scholars from history, political science, anthropology, sociology and economics. The first section of the book looks at the problem of corruption from a wide historical perspective. This is followed by sections on contemporary corruption in Europe and Latin America. Questions that are discussed in this volume include: What are the problems for the historian when analysing evidence of corruption? At what point do clientelism and nepotism become corrupt? How has party competition affected the pattern of corruption? How successful have been past efforts at reform? What is the relationship between political culture and corruption? In addition to general essays, this book includes chapters analysing political corruption in the following countries: Italy, Spain, France, Great Britain, Chile, Brazil, Venezuela, Paraguay and Mexico.