Lessons of the Northern War on African corruption*

ABSTRACT

In the 1990s states, international non-governmental organisations, and capitalist enterprises launched a novel campaign against transnational corruption. This essay addresses how and when this campaign emerged, how corruption was framed as a product of African state failure and patrimonialism, and how radical changes in the global political economy, most notably East-South relationships, undermine our understanding of the actors and paths of transnational corruption.