Is Corruption Always Bad?

by Seth Kaplan | Mar 9, 2012 | Africa, East Asia and Pacific, Economics and development, Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, South Asia

Corruption is generally vilified as an unmitigated evil. It disenfranchises the poor, weakens public services, reduces investment, and holds back whole societies. And yet, in some instances, corruption can actually be very useful, lubricating business in a way that promotes growth, creates jobs, helps smooth the introduction of needed reforms, and reduces poverty.

What explains this paradox? (more…)