Rotten States? Corruption, Post-Communism, and Neoliberalism.
By Leslie Holmes. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2006. 440p. $84.95
cloth, $23.95 paper.
As a veteran of corruption studies in the postcommunist world, Leslie
Holmes addresses three fundamental issues confronting students of
corruption: the definition and categorization of corruption, the impact
corruption has on democracies, and causal factors that account for its
rise within postcommunist states. The comparative study focuses on
Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and Russia. China, the author argues, has
developed a system akin to postcommunism and is treated in the analysis as
far as data permit. The author also refers to other postcommunist cases,
when appropriate, and many of the observations and inferences would apply
to all democratic countries.