Fighting Grand Corruption : Transnational and Human Rights Approaches in Latin America and Beyond

Courts and activists in Latin America have pioneered an approach that foregrounds human rights, victims' participation, asset recovery and reparation to fight systemic corruption. Using engaging stories and examples, the book will appeal to lawyers, Latin Americanists and anyone interested in reclaiming the common good.

Grand corruption-systemic, large-scale, and top-down misappropriation of public resources for private gain-remains a pervasive problem around the world. It affects the ability of governments to educate, feed, and care for their people. It undermines human rights, perpetuates impunity, and erodes trust in government and the judiciary. It strengthens disgruntlement, authoritarianism, and insurgency. Corruption, however, is not a static force. In this work, Naomi Roht-Arriaza explores how corruption has changed, and how new anti-corruption thinking, especially in Latin America, centers human rights, victims'' access to justice, and reparations. Roht-Arriaza shows how activists have used outside pressure and support for local actors where state institutions have been captured and foregrounds anti-corruption considerations in dealing with transitional justice and atrocity crimes. Written with engaging stories and examples, this book will appeal to lawyers, scholars of Latin America, and anyone else interested in fighting kleptocrats with the goal of reclaiming the common good.