THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF CORRUPTION IN SIERRA LEONE

Author:	Kallon, Kelfala M.
Year:	2003
Pages:	418
ISBN:	0-7734-6532-4 978-0-7734-6532-9
Price:	$259.95

This book’s overriding theme is that Sierra Leone’s problem of endemic corruption is due to the fact that the net benefit from corruption has been consistently positive and high throughout much of the post-independence period, and that economic analysis can offer useful insights into the problem of corruption, generally, and Sierra Leone’s problem, specifically. It follows a multi-disciplinary approach, drawing heavily on economics, history, and political science. It is directed at scholars and policy makers interested in the problem of corruption in LDCs, and its findings are applicable to other African countries and corruption studies.

Reviews

“Professor Kallon’s book on corruption in Sierra Leone is a product of this new thinking that governance issues are central to the problem of economic development….This book has something of value for everyone who is fortunate enough to read it. Those who prefer institutional analysis to mathematical modeling will be surely delighted by Chapters 4 through 6. The empirically-minded reader will appreciate the statistical analyses in Chapter 7, while those with a bias toward mathematical models will enjoy Chapters 8 and 9. Above all, every reader will appreciate the book’s excellent writing style and thorough documentation. Every great book should evoke intellectual debate around one or more of its key findings or propositions. Professor Kallon has no doubt taken the lid off a Pandora’s Box in Chapter 5 where he concludes that the political crisis of 1967 and the eventual accession of Siaka Stevens to the premiership (and later the presidency of Sierra Leone) was caused by ethnically-motivated corruption….regardless of the side of the debate on which they will ultimately fall, future scholars will owe an immeasurable debt to Professor Kallon for initiating this debate….many findings of this book are applicable all over Africa with little modification for local conditions. This makes it a very useful resource for students of corruption in Africa as a whole.” – Professor Derrick K. Gondwe, Gettysburg College

Table of Contents:
Foreword; Preface
Part I: Causes and Consequences of Corruption
1. Introduction
2. The Causes of Corruption
3. The Consequences of Corruption
Part II: Corruption in the Political Economy of Sierra Leone
4. A Review of the Political History of Sierra Leone, 1947-67
5. Did Corruption Cause the 1967 Constitutional Crisis?
6. Corruption and State Politics in Post-1967 Sierra Leone
7. The Impact of the Post-Colonial Regimes on the Economy
Part III: Economic Models of Corrupt Behavior
8. Corruption between Firms and Public Officials
9. Corruption in the Market for Government Services
10. A Comparative Evaluation of Corruption-Abatement Strategies
Part IV: Corruption-Abatement in Sierra Leone: History and Recommended Strategies
11. Corruption-Abatement in Sierra Leone: History and Strategies
12. Conclusions and Policy Recommendations
Bibliography; Index