A failure of governmentality: why Transparency International underestimated corruption in Ben Ali's Tunisia

Baumann, Hannes ORCID: 0000-0003-0100-1841 (2017) A failure of governmentality: why Transparency International underestimated corruption in Ben Ali's Tunisia. THIRD WORLD QUARTERLY, 38 (2). pp. 467-482.

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Abstract

This article critiques the Foucauldian approach to governance indicators. Transparency International’s (TI) Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) underestimated Tunisian corruption levels under President Ben Ali: his regime was highly corrupt but foreign investors were less affected. CPI methodology meant it reflected primarily the needs of foreign investors. The Foucauldian approach specifically excludes analysis of governance indicators’ methodologies. It thus fails to demonstrate the effectiveness of governance indicators as a technology of government, and it fails to show how the production of the CPI is embedded in a wider global political economy.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Tunisia, governmentality, Transparency International, corruption perception, global civil society, governance
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	03 May 2017 15:18
Last Modified:	19 Jan 2023 07:05
DOI:	10.1080/01436597.2016.1153417
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3007227