Killing a Country and Getting Away with It: Neopatrimonialism and Incurable Corruption by Political Elites Linked to International Development Aid

Abstract

As some countries are increasingly locked in a state of incurable corruption, while most political elites escape lavishly any prosecution, there is a growing concern that global governance is overlooking the crimes committed by some leaders who are “killing a country and getting away with it.” This phenomenon of state capture coincides increasingly with countries heavily dependent on international development aid. It also coincides within cultures where neopatrimonialism is allowed to flourish as opposed to more modern public administration standards. Inspired by a post-colonial and broader critical perspective, but with a practice-oriented focus, this article reviews the literature related to project management methods and how they can help uncover and prevent corruption. A review of governance regimes leads to a set of models to help better contextualize development aid management and identify how evidence-gathering can be enhanced to ensure that maximum sanctions are taken against corrupt political elite.