Corruption is one of the most intractable problems that the world is faced with and its reported impact is widespread and pervasive. Since the mid-1990s, international efforts to combat this problem expanded significantly, driven by the involvement governments, international financial institutions and non-governmental organisations. The objective of this article is to use Michel Foucault’s work in a critical analysis of the international fight against corruption. This analysis is centred on Foucault’s concept of governmentality, as well as his notions of knowledge, power and ethics. The primary focus is on the role played by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and Transparency International in the proliferation of international anti-corruption discourse and practices. Furthermore, South Africa will be used as a case study to unpack the historical and contextual factors that play a role in the legitimisation of corruption. As will be shown in this assessment, without adequately understanding the local factors that stimulate corruption and the other societal characteristics that serve to compound its pervasiveness, internationally driven anti-corruption initiatives have limited scope for success. Corruption will persist where there is a lack of resonance between international anti-corruption ideals and local norms, values and ideologies.

腐败是世界面临的最棘手的问题之一，据报道其影响广泛而普遍。自 20 世纪 90 年代中期以来，在政府、国际金融机构和非政府组织的参与推动下，解决这一问题的国际努力显着扩大。本文的目的是利用米歇尔·福柯的著作对国际反腐败斗争进行批判性分析。这种分析集中在福柯的治理概念，以及他的知识、权力和道德观念上。主要重点是世界银行、国际货币基金组织和透明国际在国际反腐败言论和实践的扩散中所发挥的作用。此外，南非将被用作案例研究，以揭示在腐败合法化中发挥作用的历史和背景因素。正如本评估将表明的那样，如果没有充分了解刺激腐败的当地因素和加剧腐败普遍存在的其他社会特征，国际驱动的反腐败举措取得成功的空间有限。在国际反腐败理想与当地规范、价值观和意识形态之间缺乏共鸣的地方，腐败将持续存在。国际驱动的反腐败举措取得成功的空间有限。在国际反腐败理想与当地规范、价值观和意识形态之间缺乏共鸣的地方，腐败将持续存在。国际驱动的反腐败举措取得成功的空间有限。在国际反腐败理想与当地规范、价值观和意识形态之间缺乏共鸣的地方，腐败将持续存在。