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18 Geo. J. Int'l Aff. 18 (2017)
Engendering Corruption: Gender and the Culture of Exchange in Central Asia

handle is hein.journals/geojaf18 and id is 125 raw text is: Engendering Corruption Gender and the Culture of Exchange in Central Asia Yvonne Corcoran-Nantes or the most part, anti-corruption poli- cies have been strongly supported in developing countries, not least in view of the fact that corruption in public life is believed to impede economic development, democratization, and gender equality. While anti-corruption policies have made inroads into government accountability, which de- creases levels of corruption and corrupt practice, especially in the civil service, they are unable to eliminate them altogether. Sur- veys that focused on the attitude of men and women toward corruption as well as their participation in corruption have unambigu- ously found women to be more critical of corruption and far less engaged. Women are likely to be on the periphery of the networks and spheres of influence that support rec- ognized corrupt practices, and one might argue that this is unsurprising. Women are engaged in very different social networks in which the exchange of favors and gifting are cultural practices that offer pecuniary ad- vantage to both the gift-giver and recipient. What constitutes corrupt practice when the cultural context of reciprocal relationships is imbued within the lives of households and communities? How do we define some- thing as corrupt when it is considered to be a cultural practice and a survival strategy? Is the cultural practice of reciprocity corrupt wherein the bribe might be seen as a gift in disguise or the gift as a bribe in disguise? The nexus between gender and corrup- tion has been explored and researched with enthusiasm. Global data sets produced or commissioned by the World Survey Associa- tion and Transparency International in the 1980s and 1990s investigated the incidence of corruption around the world, focusing on gender and public life and, specifically, gender differences in attitude toward and engagement in corruption.' Outcomes in- dicated that gender differences clearly ex- ist whereby women appeared to have lower levels of engagement with and tolerance for corruption. Moreover, indications were that greater levels of female participation in public life would produce a decrease in the levels of corruption in key areas of society. This position was advocated for, justified by, and disseminated in the World Bank re- port entitled Engendering Development.2 However, the notion held by leading IN- GOs-that by funding programs that em- power women economically and politically, one might contribute to gender equality and the democratization of a country while reducing levels of corruption-is both ide- alistic and highly improbable.3 While most work in the field would support a positive 18 GEORGETOWN JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS Yvonne Corcoran-Nantes is an associate professor in the School of Social and Policy Studies at Flinders University. She is the head of the Discipline of Women's Studies.

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