ABSTRACT
The Asian economic crisis that began in Thailand during 1997 focused considerable public attention upon corruption problems that had long been the focus of scholarly debate. It was not that there had been any doubt about the scope of corruption in the region: Japan, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, and India, among others, all had well-known cases. And it was not that reforms had yet to be tried: indeed, two of the best-known success stories were those of Hong Kong and Singapore. The chapter illuminates the variations in forms and practices of corruption, and the contrasts among countries and sub-regions, that make Asia's corruption-and-development story so complex and important. Corruption problems vary among the nations of Asia, and so do approaches to reform. Reform successes in Singapore and Hong Kong contrast with the pervasive, disruptive corruption of Indonesia—and with its chaotic aftermath.
