Corruption, Inequality, and the Rule of Law: The Bulging Pocket Makes the Easy Life

Corruption, Inequality, and the Rule of Law: The Bulging Pocket Makes the Easy Life, Eric Ulsaner. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008.In his book Corruption, Inequality, and the Rule of Law: The Bulging Pocket Makes the Easy Life, Eric Uslaner takes on the task of researching the interception of such fundamental determinants as corruption, inequality, and the rule of law. While inequality and the rule of law are by now well-researched both quantitatively and qualitatively, the issue of corruption remains in many ways terra incognita even for the scholarly community, and more so for professionals and ordinary people. Corruption itself is often a taboo topic in state and international organizations. For reasons based on political correctness and diplomacy, many public figures avoid talking about this inconvenient topic, as do many scholars. Uslaner is obviously not one of those politically correct scholars. He pinpoints the roots of corruption, saying that it rests "upon economic inequality and low trust in people who are different from yourself. Corruption, in its turn, leads to less trust in other people and more inequality" (4).Built around the concept of the inequality trap, the book takes us through the definitions and conceptualizations of corruption, theoretical frameworks, aggregate cross-national tests of the inequality trap thesis, and corruption in former Communist countries, as well as suggestions on how to eliminate corruption. Cases of countries successful in curbing corruption, such as Singapore and Hong Kong, are also addressed in this study. To the author's credit, he uses examples of malfeasance in the United States as well. Measurements of corruption that remain a constant challenge for any researcher are taken into account.Traditionally-to the extent that the field of corruption may fit the definition of traditional- political science writings on corruption remain largely built around specific cases. Uslaner clearly breaks this tradition, and does it exceptionally well. One cannot help but be impressed by the scope of quantitative econometric analysis presented, both within the text and in the appendices. This is rather unusual for a political science book, especially one focused on such a "data scarce" problem as corruption. Even though some proxies used in the regression analysis may be interpreted as quite liberal approximations, the presence of such analysis is a clear and bold merit of the book. Indeed, it makes it an unparalleled source of information to which a graduate student or a scholar may turn not just for excellent analytical points, but for the results of data analysis as well.Uslaner points continuously to the merits and virtues of universal education, including in the task of reducing corruption. …