Barriers to transparency: growth, and the growth of corruption

The study of corruption confronts a paradox - why a rationally selfish state has good reason to limit corruption, but may not have the means. "Transparency", or a lack of corruption, cannot be provided by government alone, and is but one of several public goods that require voluntary inputs by households. Education, health, and economic security are also in part "socially produced". Transparency is good for these public goods, the reverse causality also holds: education, health, economic security, and transparency are mutually reinforcing. Anti-corruption programs in developing countries must link with (a) improvements in public infrastructure, and (b) traditional forms of reciprocity enforcement, such as Rotating Savings and Credit Associations (ROSCAS).