The concept of corruption is contested in some quarters, requiring an analysis of deep questions defining the relationship between state and society. This essay introduces these issues by confronting the seemingly disparate views of free market libertarians and of those ethnographers who study...

Corruption has serious economic and social costs and can undermine government legitimacy. Economic analysis can help one understand the incentives for bribery and extortion and the deterrent effect of the law. Such analysis suggests that the law in many jurisdictions needs to be redesigned....