Cancer in the system

Graft is not just a moral and political problem, it can also 
be an economic disaster, writes Sean Hagan

The World Today Updated 18 November 2020 Published 31 March 2018 3 minute READ

Sean Hagan

Counsel and Director of the Legal Department, IMF. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF management or its Executive Board

Corruption is a global problem that is coming increasingly into sharp focus. Across the world, recent high-profile cases of corruption have caused moral outrage − and justifiably so.

In many countries, rising inequality and faltering trust feed a perception of unfairness and the belief that elites play by different rules. In response, governments are showing an increasing willingness to get to grips with this problem. Importantly, they understand that systemic corruption is not just a moral and political problem but also an economic one.

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