People in the West tend to think of corruption as a problem unique to the lower-income countries. But are we fooling ourselves? Development economist and co-founder of Transparency International, Laurence Cockroft and anti-corruption expert Anne-Christine Wegener have analysed the driving forces behind such cases, particularly the role of political finance, lobbying, the banking system and organised crime. In the course of their investigation, Cockroft and Wegener have uncovered why anti-corruption legislation has not been more effective, and why there is an increasing discrepancy between regulation and commercial and cultural practice.