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Corruption, Gender Equality and Meritocracy

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Gender and Corruption

Part of the book series: Political Corruption and Governance ((PCG))

Abstract

This chapter makes five claims: (1) Corruption has a detrimental effect on overall human well-being. (2) Most existing programs for combatting corruption have not delivered. (3) Increased gender equality seems to be one important factor behind getting corruption under control. (4) Impartiality in the exercise of public power, not least when it “translates” into meritocracy in the public administration, has a powerful effect both on increasing gender equality and for lowering corruption. (5) As an ideal, impartiality in the exercise of public power turns out to be difficult to reach. It is therefore reasonable to take a “Churchillian” (non-ideal) approach to this. As with democracy, impartiality is not a perfect system, but all other systems for delivering quality of government have turned out to be worse.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/09/world/europe/09bribery.html?pagewanted=all

  2. 2.

    Svensk författningssamling 2014:821 (Swedish Statute Book 2014:821).

  3. 3.

    Merriam-Webster. Available at: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impersonal

  4. 4.

    Oxford Dictionaries. Available at: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/learner/impersonal

  5. 5.

    Oxford Dictionaries. Available at: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/learner/impartial

  6. 6.

    Collins Dictionaries. Available at: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/impartial

  7. 7.

    This Handbook of Public Choice does not have index entries for the terms “corruption” or “impartiality.”

  8. 8.

    Many thanks to Elin Bjarnegård for her generosity in orienting me in this field of research.

  9. 9.

    Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersexual and A-sexual. See http://lgbtqia.ucdavis.edu/

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Bo Rothstein

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  1. Bo Rothstein
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Helena Stensöta

  2. University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Lena Wängnerud

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Rothstein, B. (2018). Corruption, Gender Equality and Meritocracy. In: Stensöta, H., Wängnerud, L. (eds) Gender and Corruption. Political Corruption and Governance. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70929-1_3

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