A Culture of Corruption Everyday Deception and Popular...

Daniel Jordan Smith presents an outstanding work full of insight and appreciation of Nigerian culture. The content is enriched by his years spent working there, his marriage to a Nigerian woman and his obvious affinity for the Nigerian people. Smith’s primary aim is to reflect upon popular Nigerian sentiment toward corruption but also to explore just how entrenched corrupt practices have become in society. The book focuses on two main elements; how Nigeria is as much a ‘culture of corruption’ as it is ‘against corruption’ (p. 6). The standard discourse that exists between Nigerians themselves as well as the rest of the world is that Nigeria has a history of debilitating corruption. Smith’s work is therefore appealing to a variety of†¦show more content†¦This is centred round the ‘moral economy’ of corruption (Olivier de Sardan, 1999). This concept refers to the practice of corruption justified by its perpetrators for reasons relating to cultural values; in ways that are not stigmatised or even deemed corrupt (Olivier de Sardan, 1999). An interesting term he utilises is the ‘idiom of accountability’ that explains the rise of popular discontent suggested by the title (p. 19). Smith regularly emphasises how traditional ideals of patron-clientism are considered the most important idiom of accountability left in a society spiralling out of control. ‘String pulling’ by patrons to assist friends and relatives is considered legitimate, to act otherwise would be c onsidered immoral (p. 17). While this is undoubtedly true, Smith overemphasises this point to the extent that the reader is left wondering if this is too simple an explanation for ambivalence. If this behaviour is the general consensus for both regular Nigerians as well as the political elite, the next section of the book unpacks how the public are becoming increasingly critical of their politicians. As Smith suggests patron-clientism is embedded in Nigerian society and so it appears nobody is spared from participating in it. The author himself used his connections to get his niece into a good school. Discontent is aggravated when modern bureaucracy meets traditional patron-clientism for the sole purposes of increasing one’s personal wealth. No longer operatingShow MoreRelatedStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesBehavior 271 Understanding Work Teams 307 Communication 335 Leadership 367 Power and Politics 411 Conflict and Negotiation 445 Foundations of Organization Structure 479 v vi BRIEF CONTENTS 4 The Organization System 16 Organizational Culture 511 17 Human Resource Policies and Practices 543 18 Organizational Change and Stress Management 577 Appendix A Research in Organizational Behavior Comprehensive Cases Indexes Glindex 637 663 616 623 Contents Preface xxii 1 1 Read MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesPublic Memories Tiffany Ruby Patterson, Zora Neale Hurston and a History of Southern Life Lisa M. Fine, The Story of Reo Joe: Work, Kin, and Community in Autotown, U.S.A. Van Gosse and Richard Moser, eds., The World the Sixties Made: Politics and Culture in Recent America Joanne Meyerowitz, ed., History and September 11th John McMillian and Paul Buhle, eds., The New Left Revisited David M. Scobey, Empire City: The Making and Meaning of the New York City Landscape Gerda Lerner, Fireweed: A Political