Africa

AS ONE OF THE last parts of the world to strive for an advanced capitalist economy, Africa was also one of the last to develop a significant international business elite. Until the wave of decolonization following World War II, the countries of Africa were more often the victims of corporate and government malfeasance, and mismanagement by countries outside of the continent. Only recently have these countries, especially South Africa, faced the challenge of holding the reins on economic crimes in times of political transition and economic globalization.

White-collar crime is a Western concept and is not always easy to apply to the various societies of Africa, whose ideas of both crime and economics can be radically different. For example, western African customs long supported the dash ...