Comparing Nigerian states: Anti-corruption and the sub-state environment

对腐败的研究正在演变：如果从上世纪90年代开始重新关注一个被忽视的问题，突显腐败的普遍性和有害影响，那么今天的首要任务是更好地理解什么在政策回应中起作用。我认为，尽管如此，一个显著的弱点仍然是执着于以民族国家为分析单位。这既限制了我们了解更多地方性腐败问题的深度，也限制了我们打击腐败问题的应对措施的复杂性。通过对尼日利亚六个次国家单位(这里称为尼日利亚宪法所定义的‘国家’)的比较，这项研究将评估治理质量--即在民族国家以下行使权力的规范和机构--如何影响反腐败机制的效果和预期目标。这项研究将建立在腐败领域最近的研究基础上，旨在提高对腐败问题的分析深度和应对措施的适当性(Johnston，2005；Hough，2013；Zaum，2013；Andreoni，Khan&Roy，2016)这项工作的一个共同主题是，必须认识到背景--既要承认腐败的各种驱动因素、形式和影响，也要认识到有利于改革的环境的潜力--以制定适当的政策对策。这项研究的显著特点将是将这些想法带到民族国家以下的政府级别。这项研究着眼于政府和人民之间日常互动更密切的次国家，旨在贡献具有高度操作性和影响力的研究。尼日利亚是一个很适合探索这一主题的国家。自2015年当选以来，总统穆罕默德·布哈里开始了一场高调的反腐运动。人们对该方案的期望很高，鉴于尼日利亚的区域地位和规模，必须更好地了解哪些办法可以奏效，特别是在过去的反腐败运动已被证明是错误的曙光的情况下。尼日利亚还是包括英国在内的国际发展援助的全球主要接受国。国际发展部(DFID)启动了一项1亿GB的计划，旨在促进公共部门问责和减少腐败(2016-2021年)。因此，这项研究对尼日利亚和外部政策制定者具有很高的潜在价值，并将批判性地考虑如何重新考虑目前的方法。该研究将介绍六个州的治理环境的创新概况。研究方法将是定性的，能够深入分析国家状况，并将通过案例的配对比较来得出区别。这项研究将以国家反腐干预、支持提高标准和促进州议会作为反腐败工具，探索治理如何导致结果不同。作为民选官员行为的监督者和公共问责机制，议会作为反腐败机制的作用得到了承认，但仅进行了有限的研究(DFID，2012)。这项研究将增加证据基础，并探索如果考虑到次国家的情况，议会在反腐败方面的有效性如何能够得到改善。该研究将以尼日利亚为踏脚点，探索次国家与反腐败应对措施的相关性这一更广泛的理论问题。借鉴政治学中关于方法论民族主义对区域研究的局限性的最新工作(Jeffrey，2013)，我将考虑腐败研究方法如何纳入次国家分析，以及尼日利亚的例子可以从其他地方吸取什么经验教训。

The study of corruption is evolving: if renewed focus from the 1990s brought attention to a neglected issue, highlighting corruption's pervasiveness and harmful effects, then the priority today is to better understand what works in policy responses. I argue that one significant weakness nonetheless remains the fixation with the nation-state as the unit of analysis. This both limits the depth to which we understand more localised corruption issues and the sophistication of responses to combat the problem. Through a comparison of six sub-state units in Nigeria (here on known as 'states' as defined in the Nigerian constitution), the study will assess how the quality of governance - that is, the norms andinstitutions by which authority is exercised at a level below the nation-state - influences the effects and intended goals of anti-corruption mechanisms.The study will build on recent research in the corruption field which aims to improve the depth of analysis of corruption issues and the appropriateness of responses (Johnston, 2005; Hough, 2013; Zaum, 2013; Andreoni, Khan & Roy,2016) A common theme in this work is the importance of appreciating context - both in terms of acknowledging corruption's varying drivers, forms and effects, as well as the potential of the enabling environment for reform - to design appropriatepolicy responses. The distinctive feature of this study will be to bring these ideas to the level of government below the nation-state. In focussing on the sub-state, where there is closer everyday interaction between government and people, the study aims to contribute research with high operational relevance and impact.Nigeria is an apt country to explore this theme. Since election in 2015 President Muhammadu Buhari has embarked on a high profile anti-corruption campaign. Expectations of the programme are considerable and, given Nigeria's regional statureand size, it is imperative to better understand what approaches can work, particularly as past anticorruption drives have proven to be false dawns. Nigeria is further a leading global recipient of international development assistance, including from the UK. The Department for International Development (DFID) has initiated a £100m programme aiming to promote public sector accountability and reduce corruption (2016 - 2021). This study therefore has high potential value to Nigerian and external policymakers and will critically consider how current approaches might be rethought.The study will feature innovative profiles of the governance environment in six states. The research method will be qualitative, enabling in-depth of analysis of state conditions, and will draw out distinctions through paired comparisons of casestudies. The study will take a national anti-corruption intervention, support to improve standards and promote state parliamentary assemblies as an anticorruption tool, to explore how outcomes diverge due to governance. As a supervisor of behaviour of elected officials and mechanism of public accountability, the role of parliaments as an anticorruption mechanism is recognised, but has been subject to only limited research (DFID, 2012). The study will add to the evidence base and explore how the effectiveness of parliaments in anti-corruption can be improved if sub-state conditions are taken into account.The study will use Nigeria as a stepping point to explore the broader theoretical question of the relevance of the sub-state to anti-corruption responses. Drawing on recent work in political science on the limitations of methodologicalnationalism for regional study (Jeffrey, 2013), I will consider how corruption research methodologies can incorporate sub-state analysis, and what lessons from the Nigeria example might be taken elsewhere.