CORRUPTION Syndromes of Corruption

Official Moguls 185
as a whole-society process, with grassroots and bottom-up efforts at least
as important as reforms instituted from top-down (Carothers, 1999).
Finally, change seems best when it is gradual and moderated by sound
institutions. Politics too can be a positive part of the mix, particularly if we
conceive of it less in terms of elections and more in terms of engaged
and even contentious relationships among social groups. It may be no
accident that Korea, long thought of as a tense and contentious society,
was a surprise winner in the democratization processes of the 1980s
and 1990s.
It is one thing to say that reform agendas will need to be tailored to the
realities of differing syndromes of corruption, but quite another to say
what the major contrasts and adaptations will have to be. Some initial
thoughts on that issue, as well as questions for further research, are the
focus of our final chapter.