Dr. Jodi Vittori

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thanks for having me here today. I appreciate it.

Thanks for having me here today. I appreciate it.

Thanks for having me here today. I appreciate it.

Sure. So kleptocracy literally means rule by thieves, like kleptomaniac, someone who can't stop stealing. Ocracy at the end, like democracy, government by the people, theocracy, government by religion. So kleptocracy is just putting those two together. So government by thieves.

Sure. So kleptocracy literally means rule by thieves, like kleptomaniac, someone who can't stop stealing. Ocracy at the end, like democracy, government by the people, theocracy, government by religion. So kleptocracy is just putting those two together. So government by thieves.

Sure. So kleptocracy literally means rule by thieves, like kleptomaniac, someone who can't stop stealing. Ocracy at the end, like democracy, government by the people, theocracy, government by religion. So kleptocracy is just putting those two together. So government by thieves.

No, there is not, although people will try to come up with some crazy reasons to justify why they should be a kleptocracy or what they're really doing is reforming things or that's how their culture is set up or whatever. But at the end of the day, they're very predatory on their citizens and often very predatory on the world.

No, there is not, although people will try to come up with some crazy reasons to justify why they should be a kleptocracy or what they're really doing is reforming things or that's how their culture is set up or whatever. But at the end of the day, they're very predatory on their citizens and often very predatory on the world.

No, there is not, although people will try to come up with some crazy reasons to justify why they should be a kleptocracy or what they're really doing is reforming things or that's how their culture is set up or whatever. But at the end of the day, they're very predatory on their citizens and often very predatory on the world.

So there's not one definition of what kinds of things make rule by thieves or what's thiefy enough, what's thievery enough to make it a kleptocracy. But there's a couple of things that we look at that when we're thinking about a place that is a kleptocracy.

So there's not one definition of what kinds of things make rule by thieves or what's thiefy enough, what's thievery enough to make it a kleptocracy. But there's a couple of things that we look at that when we're thinking about a place that is a kleptocracy.

So there's not one definition of what kinds of things make rule by thieves or what's thiefy enough, what's thievery enough to make it a kleptocracy. But there's a couple of things that we look at that when we're thinking about a place that is a kleptocracy.

One is that just the amount of money and stuff that is being basically stolen by these thieves and what happens to the institutions of government. And so we have different terms that have, like, if you like Venn diagrams, there's a lot of overlap. Kleptocracy, grand corruption, and state capture often get used interchangeably. There's some slight differences between them.

One is that just the amount of money and stuff that is being basically stolen by these thieves and what happens to the institutions of government. And so we have different terms that have, like, if you like Venn diagrams, there's a lot of overlap. Kleptocracy, grand corruption, and state capture often get used interchangeably. There's some slight differences between them.

One is that just the amount of money and stuff that is being basically stolen by these thieves and what happens to the institutions of government. And so we have different terms that have, like, if you like Venn diagrams, there's a lot of overlap. Kleptocracy, grand corruption, and state capture often get used interchangeably. There's some slight differences between them.

It doesn't have to be. And I will push back on one of your first sentences just a little bit. There are cases where you have incredibly authoritarian regimes, even totalitarian regimes, that don't engage in large-scale grand corruption. So they're still hideous. Think Pol Pot in Cambodia. Lots of petty corruption, people paying bribes to just survive.

It doesn't have to be. And I will push back on one of your first sentences just a little bit. There are cases where you have incredibly authoritarian regimes, even totalitarian regimes, that don't engage in large-scale grand corruption. So they're still hideous. Think Pol Pot in Cambodia. Lots of petty corruption, people paying bribes to just survive.