دانلود رایگان مقاله انگلیسی مالکیت خصوصی قدرتمند نئولیبرالیسم و ایجاد فساد - نشریه الزویر

Abstract

This paper utilises a political lens in considering the cause for the production of corruption and the role of political leadership. Specifically, the notion of personalisation of power as advocated by Slater (2003) is adopted to portray how the adoption of neoliberalism ideology by an aspiring autocratic leader results in the weakening of the infrastructural power through three strategies: packing, rigging and circumventing. We use Perwaja Steel as a case study to demonstrate the modus operandi of corruption in a state-owned enterprise in Malaysia.

4. Reflections and conclusion

Combating corruption on both the demand and supply side requires understanding of the context and logic of the actors conducting the affairs in modern societies. In developing countries, economic policies and actions are often in the hands of the political elites and the doctrine of neoliberalism has been a convenient vehicle in legitimising their exercise of power in turning the state’s assets into private enterprises and in deregulating economic activities, as well as in empowering themselves and their cronies in defending their decisions and outcomes. The main criticism on the symbiotic relationship between the political elites and business cronies is the excessive misuse of power to the degree that it corrupts the economic andpoliticalprinciples ofpublic service (Sikka, 2008;Bakre, 2008).Hence, any effort at curbing corruptionrequires scrutiny of the political ambition and democratic spirit of the “tone at the top.” When a country is allowed to be run by an increasingly authoritarian personality without constraints on the despotic power, then the country’s institutional infrastructure that provides the check and balance may be weakened by the aspiring autocrat through various means of personalisation of power (Slater, 2003)