This book investigates the mechanisms and systemic drivers of corruption by applying the analytical framework of New Institutional Economics. The authors, Johann Graf Lambsdorff, Markus Taube, and Matthias Schramm, leverage institutional theory to examine how formal and informal rules shape incentives for corrupt behavior. By focusing on the interaction between economic structures and political governance, the text provides a rigorous methodology for understanding why corruption persists in various institutional environments.

Experts recognize this work as a foundational text for scholars interested in the intersection of institutional theory and political economy. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which is tailored for researchers and advanced students of economics and governance.