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Corruption Talk: Challenging the Common Concerns Approach

Corruption Talk: Challenging the Common Concerns Approach

Common Concerns vor 6 Monaten

Challenging the Common Concerns Approach

0:00

59:50

Xiang Biao and Insa Lee Koch, Professor of British Culture at the
Universität St.Gallen (HSG), discuss how people in working-class
communities in the United Kingdom tend to perceive corruption as
a moral failure of institutions and individuals in positions of
power rather than as a technical or bureaucratic problem. Koch
argues that this perception stems from mistrust and
disillusionment with the political system, which is viewed as
corrupt and self-serving. She also explores the concept of a
‘popular political ontology’, which refers to the way people in
these communities think about power and politics. She argues that
this ontology is characterised by a personalised and moralised
understanding of corruption, which differs from the more abstract
and systemic understanding of corruption found in academic and
political discourse.

The conversation also touches on Biao’s concept of “double
alienation”, which refers to the way in which people in these
communities feel disconnected from both the state and the market.
This sense of alienation is a key driver of perceptions of
corruption and the desire for a more inclusive and participatory
form of politics. During the conversation, Koch emphasises the
importance of listening to and understanding the perspectives of
people in working-class communities, rather than imposing
solutions or theories on them from the outside. She argues that
this approach is essential for building a more inclusive and
democratic politics that takes into account the concerns and
experiences of all citizens.

The conversation also touches on the idea of ‘grounding’ as a way
of thinking about politics and society. Koch argues that this
approach highlights the importance of linking abstract ideas and
concepts to the concrete experiences and concerns of people in
different contexts. Overall, the conversation offers a nuanced
and insightful examination of corruption and its relationship to
power, politics, and society.

Koch questions the foundations of the ‘Common Concerns’ approach.
This is a critical conversation. Can we really speak to people
using these new concepts, or are we merely reinforcing the very
systems we claim to criticise?