Clientelism, corruption and kleptocratic politics in Bangladesh: a political economy analysis
Political clientelism and political corruption reinforce each other. While clientelism either in traditional or modern form remains appreciated in party politics, corruption is considered anathema and anti-systemic. Yet, clientalism and corruption feature prominently in party politics of developing...
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| Format: | Book Chapter |
| Language: | English English |
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Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
2018
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| Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/67459/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/67459/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/67459/1/67459_Clientelism%2C%20corruption%20and%20kleptocratic%20-%20book%20chapter.pdf http://irep.iium.edu.my/67459/7/67459_Clientelism%2C%20corruption%20and%20kleptocratic%20politics_scopus.pdf |
| Summary: | Political clientelism and political corruption reinforce each other. While clientelism either in traditional or modern form remains appreciated in party politics, corruption is considered anathema and anti-systemic. Yet, clientalism and corruption feature prominently in party politics of developing democracies. This largely stems from a weak legal system and strong executive dominance, resulting in clientelism and corruption within a kleptocratic-centred political economy, where a nexus of political, economic and administrative elites exploits and misappropriates already scant resources. In Bangladesh, strong party alignment and political intolerance to opponent parties create a climate of strong political clientelism, leading to rampant state-patronised corruption and misappropriation of public money. Formal and informal legal immunity then institutionalise the practice into a kleptocratic political economy. This article argues that state authorities in Bangladesh consciously patronise the nexus of elites in a kleptocratic political economy, displaying a serious lack of democratic and political accountability. |
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