Zenobia Ismail
Abstract: The literature on state capture is growing and encompasses more countries and contexts. This paper argues that it is time to consider varieties of capture that have different trajectories and outcomes. Two factors, the level of democracy and the strength of institutions, are proposed as starting points for thinking about varieties of capture. Using data from Freedom House, the Worldwide Governance Indicators and case study material this paper examines capture under four sets of structural conditions. The research finds that capture is more likely to be overt and detectable when institutions are strong and operate through formal rules and regulations and more likely to be covert when institutions are weak and informal relationships between elites are the norm. Capture is more likely to be exposed and opposed when democracy is high and difficult to reveal and resist when there are low levels of democracy. The onset of economic crisis can force captured leaders out of office, but the underlying conditions that lead to capture seldom change, hence the intensity of elite corruption may reduce, but it continues to harm the public interest.
Policy relevance: State capture is becoming pervasive in many regions. This paper is relevant for anti-corruption programmes.
Key words: capture, corruption, institutions, democratisation
Author: Zenobia Ismail is a researcher in the Governance and Social Development Resource Centre (GSDRC). She manages the Knowledge for Development and Diplomacy (K4DD) helpdesk which supports evidence-based policy-making. She completed a doctorate in Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge in 2018. Before this she was a researcher at the Centre for Social Development in Africa at the University of Johannesburg. She also worked with the Afrobarometer research programme for three years based in South Africa. z.ismail@bham.ac.uk
