When Law Fails: A Theory of Self-Enforcing Anti-Corruption Legislation in Africa

Abstract

The resort to legal measures to combat corruption in Africa is almost universal. But the effectiveness of law in controlling criminal or anti-social behavior is not a given; rather it is contingent. This article argues that, given the peculiarities of the African society, legal measures that aim to control corruption, to become effective, must first become self-enforcing, based on democratic incentives for attitudinal change among the populace.