Unbundling Corruption : Revisiting Six Questions on Corruption

Corruption is conventionally measured in global indices as a one-dimensionalproblem—one score for every country—a practice that has profoundly shaped ourconceptualization of corruption and its relationship with capitalism. What if weunbundle corruption into qualitatively distinct types and then measure them acrosscountries? How will this approach change our understanding of corruption? Thisreview article serves two purposes. First, it introduces a new framework for“unbundling corruption” into four varieties and highlights their differentialeconomic effects. Based on this typology, I piloted a new cross-national measure ofthese four varieties of corruption in fifteen countries, using an expert, perceptionbasedsurvey—the Unbundled Corruption Index (UCI). Second, I review six questionson corruption through the lens of unbundling corruption. Shifting our focus ofcorruption from its aggregated quantity to its quality not only changes our responsesto commonly asked questions about corruption, it also prompts new questions