Abstract

Corruption frequently surfaces in Asia, as it does throughout the world. Sometimes the existence of bribes, kickbacks, and official self-dealing is clear cut. In other cases the information is circumstantial. A scandal arises that could have been the result of official negligence or incompetence but the scale of the violation often suggests that illicit quid pro quos were present. Behaviour that arises from the long-term buildup of patronage, connections, and cronyism can form the background conditions within which the search for private gain substitutes for the public interest. In the extreme, state agencies or even whole governments may be “taken over” by self-seeking networks that milk the institutions for private gain.