The Real State: Inside the Corruption System of Kinshasa’s Traffic Police

Work in Progress (with Aimable A. Lameke, Albert Malukisa Nkuku, Kristof Titeca and Raul Sanchez de la Sierra)

Abstract

This paper analyze Kinshasa’s traffic police agency to examine the systemic component of bureaucratic corruption, and quantify its impact on society. The “real” agency is best described as a unofficial organization operating in the shadow of the official norms of the state, where vertical and horizontal redistribution of unofficial income is fueled by supervisor collusion, creating a distinctive social cost.