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This book investigates the pervasive problem of corruption across the Middle East and North Africa. Drawing on the specifics of the local context, the book explores how corruption in the region is actuated through informal practices that coexist and work in parallel to formal institutions.
When informal practices become vehicles for corruption, they can have negative ripple effects across many aspects of society, but on the other hand, informal practices could also have the potential to be leveraged to reinforce formal institutions to help fight corruption. Drawing on a range of cases including Morocco, Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, Tunisia or Israel the book first explores the mechanisms and dynamics of corruption and informal practices in the region, before looking at the successes and failures of anti-corruption initiatives. The final section focuses on gender perspectives on corruption, which are often overlooked in corruption literature, and the role of women in the Middle East.
With insights drawn from a range of disciplines, this book will be of interest to researchers and students across political science, philosophy, socio-legal studies, public administration, and Middle Eastern studies, as well as to policy makers and practitioners working in the region.
List of contents
Introduction Part 1: Conceptualising the Mechanisms and Dynamics of Corruption and Informal Practices in the MENA region 1. Dispersing the Fog: A Philosophical Analysis of Institutional Corruption Applied to the MENA region 2.Hamulas and Structural Corruption in The Middle East 3. Assessing the Impact of Sectarian Patronage in Lebanon 4. Does Wasta Undermine Support for Democracy? Corruption, Clientelism, and Attitudes toward Political Regimes Part 2: Successes and Failures of Anti-corruption Initiatives 5. Sweeping under the Rug: The Limitations and Failures of the Formal Fight Against Corruption in Morocco 6. Old Wine in New Bottles? Corruption and Neopatrimonial Statehood in Turkey 7. "Corruption Eruption"? The Israeli Case Part 3: The Way Forward – Empowering women as a Tool to reduce corruption 8. Is Poor Performance in Gender Equality Linked to Higher Corruption in the Middle East? 9. Women, Corruption, and Wasta in Jordan – A Case Study in Female Elected Representatives 10. Between Leadership and Kinship: Women Empowerment in the GCC Countries 11.Support for Gender Quotas and Perceived Corruption in Developing Democracies: Evidence from Lebanon Conclusion and Future Prospects
About the author
Ina Kubbe, Post-Doctoral Researcher, The School of Political Science, Government and International Affairs, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
Aiysha Varraich, PhD Candidate, Quality of Government Institute, Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Summary
This book investigates the pervasive problem of corruption across the Middle East and North Africa. This book explores how corruption in the Middle East and North Africa is actuated through informal practices that coexist and work in parallel to formal institutions.
