2G or Not 2G: Confronting Corruption in India

Since late last year, news from India has been dominated by what many refer to as India’s “scam season.” Corruption scandals have distracted and shaken the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, mobilized a vocal and increasingly influential anticorruption movement, and contributed to growing international investor concerns about doing business in India (last year foreign direct investment dropped by one-third, to $24 billion). India’s current confrontation with corruption is, first and foremost, a domestic matter. But it is also of interest and consequence to the broader international community, hence the need to better understand what is involved and what is being done to address it.