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AEGIS European Conference on African Studies
11 - 14 July 2007
African Studies Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Foreign Business and State Corruption in Uganda
| Panel |
50. The new scramble for Africa
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| Paper ID | 800 |
| Author(s) |
Tangri, Roger
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| Paper |
No paper submitted
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| Abstract | Public sector corruption has been seen as retarding private sector development as well as hindering foreign direct investment in African countries. The present paper argues, however, that private foreign firms have been influential in promoting African public corruption. We present several empirical examples to document how foreign companies have engaged in improper practices in Uganda especially to win or retain major public contracts and deals over competitors. Far from being innocent victims of public sector corruption, our research shows that foreign companies have contributed to as well as been complicit in state corruption in Uganda. Foreign private sector bidders have colluded with public officials and politicians to secure government contracts. Such collusion has given rise to many irregularities in government decision-making as well as been harmful to the quality of public governance in Uganda. We also argue that international donors have tended to overlook foreign business bribery and corrupt state-business transactions, thus making anti-corruption initiatives in African countries ineffective in combating sleaze in state institutions. |
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