"Daily life in Africa is governed by the 'petty' corruption of public officials in services such as health, transport or the judicial system. This study of everyday corruption in three African countries investigates the reasons for its extraordinary prevalence." "The authors construct an illuminating analytical framework around the various forms of corruption, the corruptive strategies public officials resort to, and how these forms and strategies have become embedded in daily administrative practices. They investigate the roots of the system in the growing inability of weakened states in Africa either to reward their employees adequately or to deliver expected services. They conclude that corruption in Africa today is qualitatively different from corruption in other parts of the world in its pervasiveness, its legitimations, and its huge impact on the nature of the state."--BOOK JACKET.

Translated from the French.

Why should we study everyday corruption and how should we go about it? /G. Blundo, J.-P. Olivier de Sardan -- Corruption in Africa and the social sciences: a review of the literature / Giorgio Blundo -- Everyday corruption in West Africa / G. Blundo, J.-P. Olivier de Sardan -- Popular semiology of corruption / G. Blundo, J.-P. Olivier de Sardan -- Corruption in the legal system / Mahaman Tidjani Alou -- 'We don't eat the papers': corruption in transport, customs and the civil forces / Nassirou Bako Arifari -- Ordered corruption? The social world of public procurement / Giorgio Blundo.