International Journal of Public Sector Management

Purpose – The paper aims to examine how the measurement of African “corruption” has been manipulated to serve western economic interests.

Design/methodology/approach – In depth secondary source analysis within a post-colonial framework.

Findings – The most popular measure of corruption, Transparency International's corruption perception index (CPI), is a flawed instrument. Capable only of calculating proxies of corruption, the measure is oblivious to cultural variance and is business-centric in style. The CPI is embraced in good faith by African governments and donor organisations oblivious to its deeper purpose of serving western economic and geo-political interests under the guise of weeding out something falsely portrayed as a universal negative.

Practical implications – The paper will assist efforts to ground the anti-corruption effort in the realities of Africa.

Originality/value – The paper is part of a minority scholarship that seeks to provide space for the consideration of alternatives to the dominant conceptions of corruption and its measurement.