| Corruption and Reform: Lessons from America's Economic History Contributor(s): Glaeser, Edward L. (Editor), Goldin, Claudia (Editor) |
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ISBN: 0226299589 ISBN-13: 9780226299587 Publisher: University of Chicago Press OUR PRICE: $60.39 Product Type: Paperback Published: March 2008 Annotation: Despite recent corporate scandals, the United States is among the world's least corrupt nations. But in the nineteenth century, the degree of fraud and corruption in America approached that of today's most corrupt developing nations as municipal governments and robber barons alike found new ways to steal from taxpayers and swindle investors. In "Corruption and Reform," contributors explore this shadowy period of United States history in search of better methods to fight corruption worldwide today. Contributors to this volume address the measurement and consequences of fraud and corruption, and the forces that ultimately led to their decline within the United States. They show that various approaches to reducing corruption have met with success, such as deregulation, particularly in the form of "free banking," in the 1830s. In the 1930s, corruption was kept in check when new federal bureaucracies replaced local administrations in doling out relief. Another deterrent to corruption was the independent press, which kept a watchful eye over government and business. These and other facets of American history analyzed in this volume make it indispensable as background for anyone interested in corruption today. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | United States - 19th Century - Business & Economics | Economic History - True Crime |
| Dewey: 364.132 |
| Series: National Bureau of Economic Research Conference Report (Paperback) |
| Physical Information: 0.89" H x 6.25" W x 9.01" (1.20 lbs) 396 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 19th Century |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Despite recent corporate scandals, the United States is among the world's least corrupt nations. But in the nineteenth century, the degree of fraud and corruption in America approached that of today's most corrupt developing nations, as municipal governments and robber barons alike found new ways to steal from taxpayers and swindle investors. In Corruption and Reform, contributors explore this shadowy period of United States history in search of better methods to fight corruption worldwide today. Contributors to this volume address the measurement and consequences of fraud and corruption and the forces that ultimately led to their decline within the United States. They show that various approaches to reducing corruption have met with success, such as deregulation, particularly "free banking," in the 1830s. In the 1930s, corruption was kept in check when new federal bureaucracies replaced local administrations in doling out relief. Another deterrent to corruption was the independent press, which kept a watchful eye over government and business. These and other facets of American history analyzed in this volume make it indispensable as background for anyone interested in corruption today. |
Contributor Bio(s): Glaeser, Edward L.: - Edward L. Glaeser is the Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics at Harvard University, where he also directs the Taubman Center for State and Local Government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston. He is a research associate and director of the Urban Economics Working Group at the NBER. |