Excessive government discretion, greed, and the abuse of power for private gain are widespread phenomena in developing countries, denying citizens the critical services that they are entitled to—and leaving little room for a country's economic growth. Bertram Spector presents a comprehensive strategy for detecting and confronting corruption in the public sector, which he supports with case studies that demonstrate the utility of the approach and how the results of assessment have been used to generate practical, targeted strategies to minimize corruption and its impact.

Bertram I. Spector is anticorruption practice leader at Management Systems International. His recent books include Negotiating Peace and Confronting Corruption: Challenges for Postconflict Societies.