Carwash operation and the complex mechanism of political corruption in Brazil

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-7289.2020.3.37882

Keywords:

Corruption, Hidden exchanges network, Carwash operation

Abstract

This article analyzes the relationship between the governance structures of hidden exchange networks as well as the regulation and protection mechanisms of the corrupt system. It is assumed that the actors interact in a complex network of corrupt exchanges based on an informal system of behavioral rules. The empirical material that serves as the basis for this discussion constitutes the extensive set of legal and journalistic data produced from the “Carwash” operation. The analysis showed that it is, on the one hand, a systemic corruption and, on the other hand, networks whose governance structure is centrifugal. Contrary to what the legal narrative of the operation affirmed, the Brazilian case demonstrates a polycentric system with a high capacity to develop autonomous networks.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Fernanda Rios Petrarca, Universidade Federal de Sergipe (UFS), Aracaju, SE, Brazil

Associate professor of department of Social Sciences at Universidade Federal de Sergipe (UFS), Aracaju, SE, and Postgraduate Program in Sociology. Doctorate in Sociology at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Ufrgs), Porto Alegre, RS, and post-doctorate at Università di Pisa (Unipi), Italy.

References

Abranches, Sérgio. 2018. Presidencialismo de coalizão: raízes e evolução do modelo político brasileiro. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras.

Bezerra, Marcos Otávio. 2017. Corrupção e produção do estado. Repocs 14 (27): 99-130. https://doi.org/10.18764/2236-9473.v14n27p99-130.

Bezerra, Marcos Otávio. 1995. Corrupção: um estudo sobre poder público e relações pessoais no Brasil. Rio de Janeiro: Relume Dumará.

Carreirão, Yan. 2014. O Sistema partidário brasileiro: um debate com a literatura recente. Revista Brasileira de Ciência Política 14: 255-295. https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-335220141410.

Della Porta, Donatella, and Alberto Vannucci. 1999. Corrupt exchange: actors, ressources, and mechanisms of political corruption. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.

Della Porta, Donatella, and Alberto Vannucci. 2007. Mani impunite. Vecchia e nuova corruzione in Italia. Roma: Editori Laterza.

Della Porta, Donatella, and Alberto Vannucci. 2012. The hidden order of corruption: an institutional approach. New York: Ashgate.

Della Porta, Donatella, Salvatore Sberna, and Alberto Vannucci. 2015. “Centripetal and centrifugal corruption in post-democratic Italy.” Italian Politics 30 (1): 198-217. https://doi.org/10.3167/ip.2015.300112.

Nobre, Marcos. 2013. Imobilismo em movimento: da redemocratização ao governo Dilma. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras.

Petrarca, Fernanda Rios. 2019. O Judiciário e a luta contra a corrupção: as operações “Lava Jato” e “Mani pulite” em perspectiva comparada. Relatório de Pesquisa: CNPq. Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Aracajú, Brasil.

Petrarca, Fernanda Rios. 2017. Redes de relações pessoais e prática empresarial: um estudo sobre as empresas de comunicação e a política no Rio Grande do Sul. Sociedade e Cultura 20 (1): 247-270. https://doi.org/10.5216/sec.v20i1.50863.

Pizzorno, Alessandro. 1992. Lo Scambio Oculto. Stato e mercato 34 (1): 3-34.

Ribeiro, Haroldo, Luiz G. A. Alves, Alvaro F. Martins, Ervin K. Lenzi, and Matjaz Perc. 2018. The dynamical structure of political corruption networks. Journal of Complex Networks 6 (6): 989-1003. https://doi.org/10.1093/comnet/cny002.

Silva, Giuliana Monteiro. 2017. Corrupção, narrativas de imprensa e moralidade pública nos anos 50: a conversão da corrupção em problema público no Brasil. Dissertação em Sociologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

Vannucci, Alberto. 1997. Il Mercato della corruzione. Milano: Società Aperta Edizioni.

Downloads

Published

2020-11-13

How to Cite

Rios Petrarca, F. . (2020). Carwash operation and the complex mechanism of political corruption in Brazil. Civitas: Journal of Social Sciences, 20(3), 425–438. https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-7289.2020.3.37882

Issue

Vol. 20 No. 3 (2020): Corruption and how to fight it: state of the art and analysis perspectives

Section

The fight against corruption: state of the art and analytical perspectives

License

Copyright (c) 2020 Civitas – Journal of Social Sciences

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The submission of originals to this journal implies the transfer by the authors of the right for printed and digital publication. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication. If the authors wish to include the same data into another publication, they must cite this journal as the site of original publication. As the journal is of open access, the articles are allowed for free use in scientific and educational applications, with citation of the source (please see the Creative Commons License at the bottom of this page).