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Faculty Perspectives
Transparency
How to Subvert Democracy: Montesinos in Peru
Which of the democratic checks and balances - opposition parties, the judiciary, a free press - is the most critical? Peru has the full set of democratic institutions but in the 1990s, secret-police chief Vladimiro Montesinos, systematically undermined them all with bribes. Professor John McMillan quantified the checks using the bribe prices. The strongest check on the government's power was the news media. (Details) (Paper)
Promoting Transparency in Angola
Angola provides a case study in building institutions from scratch. Three decades of civil war and one-party rule left the country with a weak and fragmented legal system, entrenched corruption, and a zero-accountability government. Recently, however, Angolan civil-society groups and journalists, along with international organizations, foreign governments, NGOs, and a few of the multinational oil companies, have prodded the Angolan government toward reform. Professor John McMillan explored how this combination of homegrown and external pressure has driven Angola's dysfunctional state to take some genuine steps toward accountability. (Paper) (Case)
