Combating Corruption in the Countries of Anglo-Saxon Tradition (Using Examples of Great Britain, India, Singapore and the USA)

Abstract

The article examines the experience of combating corruption in Great Britain, India, Singapore and the US. Despite all the differences, these countries have a common trait that was formed in the course of their historical development: they all share certain elements of the Anglo-Saxon tradition in the cultural, political and legal spheres. The purpose of the research is to examine the influence of these elements on anti-corruption policies. The analysis has revealed that the countries under review apply similar approaches, institutional mechanisms and ideologies to counter and eliminate corrupt behavior, which can be attributed to the shared factor of the Anglo-Saxon tradition. At the same time, the effectiveness of the measures used to eradicate corruption largely depends on economic conditions, behavioral attitudes, behavior patterns that are historically rooted in society, etc. In this context, the cultural component is of particular importance. The aforementioned countries’ analogous anti-corruption practices and tools can substantially vary under the influence of historically established national and cultural characteristics, significantly deviating from their original British roots. In addition, success in the fight against corruption directly depends on whether certain public institutions, whose cultural and behavioral nature dictates them to resist the introduction of new anti-corruption measures, remain present.

About the authors

Alexander P Strakhov

Open Society Center

Author for correspondence.
Email: alex50108@gmail.com

PhD in Political Science, Director of Open Society Center (Russian Federation), Doctoral Student of DBA Program, Instituto de Empresa (Spain)

Moscow, Russian Federation

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