Augusto Lopez-Claros a World Bank perspective on Corruption and the role of moral education

WASHINGTON D.C. – Augusto has a degree in mathematical statistics from Cambridge University, England, and a Ph. D. in Economics from Duke University in the United States and is currently the Director of Global Indicators and Analysis, the department responsible for the Doing Business Report, Investing Across Borders and Women, Business and the Law, of the World Bank Group. He has recently published a policy research working paper as part of a larger effort by the World Bank to provide open access to its research and contribute to development policy discussions around the world. The paper is entitled “Removing Impediments to Sustainable Economic Development: The Case of Corruption”. This paper examines causes and consequences of corruption within the process of economic development and what can be done about it,  reviews some of the factors that have increased the preoccupation of policy makers in this subject in the last few decades and goes into details on business regulation, subsidies, the budget process, international conventions, and the role of new technologies. The paper concludes suggesting “that in the long-term perspective, anticorruption strategies have to be supported by moral education and the strengthening of the ethical principles underpinning society.” The paper is available for full download here.