Prosecutors, Voters and the Criminalization of Corruption in Latin America
The Case of Lava Jato

Studies the largest foreign bribery case in history to identify the drivers, impact and dilemmas of resolute anti-corruption efforts.

Ezequiel A. Gonzalez-Ocantos (Author), Paula Muñoz Chirinos (Author), Nara Pavão (Author), Viviana Baraybar Hidalgo (Author)

9781009329842, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 6 April 2023

0 pages
23.5 x 15.7 x 2.2 cm, 0.6 kg

'Lava Jato was perhaps the most important political event of the past decade in Brazil and in much of Latin America. While the story has been told and retold by journalists and pundits, Prosecutors, Voters, and The Criminalization of Corruption in Latin America stands apart for its systematic and rigorous comparative approach. The authors' offer us new and nuanced insights into how and why prosecutors in some countries were able to leverage previous legal reforms and made tactical decisions that enabled them to successfully carry out their ambitious investigative efforts.' Cesar Zucco, Fundação Getulio Vargas

Lava Jato, a transnational bribery case that started in Brazil and spread throughout Latin America, upended elections and collapsed governments. Why did the investigation gain momentum in some countries but not others? The book traces reforms that enhanced prosecutors' capacity to combat white-collar crime and shows that Lava Jato became a full-blown anti-corruption crusade where reforms were coupled with the creation of aggressive taskforces. For some, prosecutors' unconventional methods were necessary and justified. Others saw dangerous affronts to due process and democracy. Given these controversies, how did voters react to a once-in-a-generation attempt to clean politics? Can prosecutors trigger hope, conveying a message of possible regeneration? Or does aggressive prosecution erode the tacit consensus around the merits of anti-corruption? Prosecutors, Voters and The Criminalization of Corruption in Latin America is a study of the impact of accountability through criminalization, one that dissects the drivers and dilemmas of resolute transparency efforts.

1. Introduction: anti-Corruption crusades
Part I. Causes: 2. The drivers of prosecutorial zeal: institutional change and three 'Moments' (with stories from Brazil, Italy and Beyond)
3. Lava Jato in Peru: taking on the political and judicial establishments
4. One crusade and two failed inquiries: Ecuador, Argentina and Mexico
Part II. Public: 5. Fighting corruption, curbing cynicism? Crusades, emotions and the future of politics
6. Of cockroaches and superheroes: Talking about Lava Jato in Brazil and Peru
7. Is prosecutorial zeal what partisans make of it? Survey evidence from Brazil
8. Prosecutorial Trade-Offs and the precarity of hope: Survey evidence from Peru
Part III. Conclusions: 9. Theoretical lessons and a normative assessment
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Criminology: legal aspects [LAR], Politics & government [JP], Sociology [JHB]