Corruption in Latin America: Is There Any Good News?

Corruption scandals continue to plague Latin America. From the Petrobras and Odebrecht scandals that have spread beyond Brazil, to the recent arrest of ex-president of Guatemala Álvaro Colom for graft, to eight former Mexican state governors facing charges or being convicted, corruption in Latin America remains one of the region’s chief impediments to political and economic development. However, it is not all bad news. In many places, citizens are showing increasing signs of discontent and demanding that their governments tackle corruption more aggressively; in others, judicial systems are beginning to hold politicians accountable for actions that were previously ignored.

On March 5, Hudson Institute hosted a discussion that will take stock of both advances and retreats in the fight against corruption across Latin America. The discussion focused on internal efforts, like in Brazil, and external ones, like the MACCHI in Honduras, and evaluate what they portend for the region. Hudson Senior Fellow Ambassador Jaime Daremblum was joined by Dr. John Polga-Hecimovich, assistant professor of comparative politics at the U.S. Naval Academy.

To view Dr. Polga's slides, click here.