ABSTRACT
In much of the international literature corruption is presented as a national problem. This is perpetuated by international rankings, such as Transparency International's (TI) Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) and the World Bank's World Governance Indicators. This chapter draws on findings from a large-scale survey, focus groups and an analysis of national and international narratives and scandals. It highlights the different scales at which corruption is manifest, caused and interpreted within and beyond the nation-state of PNG. This is a particularly important approach given the weakness of the PNG state. The PNG state is often only weakly felt in rural and remote parts of the country, where most citizens live. The state also struggles to secure its borders. Incursions across Indonesia and PNG's land border are frequent, and there is little monitoring of the country's sea borders. The chapter focuses on what the multi-scalar nature of corruption means for understanding and addressing corruption in PNG.
