Society and Corruption in India: Lessons from Latin America

Fighting corruption has emerged as a key development issue in India in recent years. More and more policymakers, businesses, and civil society organizations have begun to confront the issue openly. Corruption in India is today recognized as a complex phenomenon, as the consequence of more deep-seated problems of policy distortion, institutional incentives and governance. Viewed in this perspective, anti-corruption policies are not simply policies that can be planned in advance and isolation, but often a set of subtler insights that can be developed only in conjunction with citizen participation. The Economic Development Institute at the World Bank, in collaboration with the Transparency International and local NGOs, has developed a methodological approach integrating within one empirical framework the various components identified so far for understanding and combating corruption. In this research paper, the World Bank framework is used to understand and explain the role of state and society in combating corruption in India and consider recent initiatives for an effective action plan in this regard.