Corruption and anti-corruption in Latin America: Challenges, innovations, and perspectives

Abstract

The Americas exhibit marked contrasts: while several Latin American countries bear a historical legacy of systemic corruption, the United States and Canada are typically characterized by a stronger rule of law. Evidence shows that it is not possible to simply transfer the institutions or anti-corruption policies of these two countries to the Latin American context: rather, they should develop organically. For this reason, this special issue focuses on Latin America and brings together diverse analytical and methodological perspectives to examine the challenges the region faces, as well as to formulate questions aimed at better understanding the relationships between power, institutions, and citizenship and at improving the design of public policies. This introductory article first offers an overview of the current context of corruption and anti-corruption in the Americas and then presents a synthesis of the articles included in this issue.