Of course it’s possible for collusion to take place. So you have to make it hard for collusion to take place, you need failsafes. That’s why I didn’t just say “you need a guard” I talked about transparency and the legal regime. There are different ways this can work.
You are right that one element is to make sure that affinity networks (like Ivy League classmates or ethnic groupings) don’t get to colonize the top echelons. But there’s more to it than that. I think you need to look at the specific legal regimes in a bunch of Western countries, see how they work, and see how they set the incentives for actors within it. And then you’ll be able to explain why there’s more corruption in Ukraine than in Italy, and more in Italy than in England. And none of them are perfect, by the way.
You are right that one element is to make sure that affinity networks (like Ivy League classmates or ethnic groupings) don’t get to colonize the top echelons.
The UK works relatively well despite the huge portion of it’s leadership going to school in Eton and then going to college in Oxford or Cambridge.
Of course it’s possible for collusion to take place. So you have to make it hard for collusion to take place, you need failsafes. That’s why I didn’t just say “you need a guard” I talked about transparency and the legal regime. There are different ways this can work.
You are right that one element is to make sure that affinity networks (like Ivy League classmates or ethnic groupings) don’t get to colonize the top echelons. But there’s more to it than that. I think you need to look at the specific legal regimes in a bunch of Western countries, see how they work, and see how they set the incentives for actors within it. And then you’ll be able to explain why there’s more corruption in Ukraine than in Italy, and more in Italy than in England. And none of them are perfect, by the way.
Only institutional change can explain how (say) New York city governance moved from being incredibly corrupt in the 19th century to moderately corrupt in the mid-20th century to a bit corrupt today. It’s not because the population has become more “saintly,” and it’s not because of any “noble lie.” But it did require time.
The UK works relatively well despite the huge portion of it’s leadership going to school in Eton and then going to college in Oxford or Cambridge.