CORRUPTION, UNDERDEVELOPMENT AND THE MASSES IN AFRICA

Much contemporary scholarship on corruption and underdevelopment in Africa focuses on the role of the elite with scant consideration for the interpellation and agency of non-elite citizens. The paper complements the tenor of available literature. Drawing on a dynamic perspective on corruption, the paper argues that political elites are influenced in part by demands and expectations from regular citizens. These demands and expectations are a major motivation that fuels and validates certain practices which are widely regarded as corrupt. This is not a pro-elite paper. Rather than a pro-elite standpoint, the paper offers a nuanced analysis of how the actions and inaction of citizens affect the conduct of governing elites. Ignoring the role of the masses makes for an incomplete understanding of the vignettes of corruption and crisis of development in Africa. While the paper focuses on Africa, the findings are applicable to other regions of the global south.