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Democracy Dialogues: The Causes and Consequences of Corruption

Photo courtesy of Susan Rose-Ackerman

Susan Rose-Ackerman Date: Tuesday, 16 January 2007 Time: 9:00 a.m. EST (1400 GMT)

Corruption – understood as the abuse of public roles or resources for private gain – is a universal phenomenon that is evident in every society. That said, corruption can assume various forms, and can arise from different factors or combinations of factors. Likewise, while it is generally agreed that corruption has, or might have, profoundly negative effects in both political and economic realms, these effects can vary from country to country or region to region. Join U.S. scholar Susan Rose-Ackerman for a webchat providing an overview of the causes and consequences of corruption, particularly as it influences established or aspiring democracies.

Guest Biography: Susan Rose-Ackerman is the Henry R. Luce professor of jurisprudence with joint appointments between Yale Law School and the Yale Department of Political Science. Her recent book, Corruption and Government: Causes, Consequences and Reform, has been translated into 13 languages. Rose-Ackerman has been a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and at Collegium Budapest, where she co-directs a project on honesty and trust in post-socialist societies. She also has been a visiting research scholar at the World Bank. She holds a doctorate in economics from Yale University and a bachelor's degree from Wellesley College.