In December last year, a humiliated fruit vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi, burned himself and sparked what is now known as the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia that sent long-entrenched dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, his family and cronies packing their bags and ill-gotten loot and skedaddling to Saudi Arabia and to parts unknown after that. And Tunisia proved to be the [...]
Archive for the ‘Corruption’ Category
And the trophy (for better or for worst? acting) goes to…
Posted: January 28, 2011 in Corruption, Corruption in the military, Philippine militaryWas it just a coincidence that I blogged on military corruption earlier this month? Was it also a coincidence that it was one and continues to be one of the most read entries of this blog? Yesterday, we were given during the public hearings at the Senate a glimpse into the industrial anatomy of corruption [...]
Political issues re risks in infrastructure PPPs in Asia
Posted: January 7, 2011 in ASEAN, China, Corruption, Political economy, Public-private partnerships (PPP), Rule of law, Southeast Asia, Tariffs1. Why do countries with less checks and balances also experience greater number of project failures? In the general political science literature, the notion of checks and balances was considered as a powerful antidote to the abuse of power (i.e., monarchical power). Concentration of governmental power in one person or a single group more often leads [...]
Corruption in the Philippine military
Posted: January 7, 2011 in Corruption, GMA, Maguindanao massacre, Philippine politics, Political economyThe on-going legal and extra-legal contortions regarding the ultimate fate of the plundering general Carlos Garcia (ret.) that might allow him (and his family members) off the hook induced me to share this paper. The military establishment is one of a society’s institutions that is not immune to, or may even be particularly prone to corruption. As an agency [...]
