International agencies frequently bemoan corruption in countries like Pakistan, framing it as a barrier to growth and poverty alleviation. The recent IMF diagnostic report echoed these familiar claims. Yet what these reports often overlook is the role of Western countries, banks and other institutions in enabling and abetting corruption within poorer nations.

Corruption exists at multiple levels. Even petty corruption by low-paid officials taking bribes to provide essential services is a serious problem for those lacking surplus income. Far more damaging, however, is corruption among powerful politicians, senior bureaucrats and corporate actors who siphon off vast sums of national wealth and park it in international financial hubs, well beyond the reach of scrutiny in their home countries. These illicit outflows deprive citizens of resources desperately needed for health, education and social........

© The Express Tribune