Freakonomics Radio Is the U.S. Really Less Corrupt Than China? (Update)
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Sep 26, 2025 Yuen Yuen Ang, a political scientist at Johns Hopkins University and author of "China's Gilded Age," dives into the intriguing parallels of corruption in the U.S. and China. She describes China as a corrupt meritocracy and explores how corruption evolves alongside development. Ang presents her corruption typology and discusses the impact of access money on economic outcomes. Comparing the U.S. and China's Gilded Ages, she highlights the similarities in access money, arguing for institutional changes to address underlying corruption issues.
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Corrupt Meritocracy Explained
- Yuen Yuen Ang calls China's system a "corrupt meritocracy" where merit and corruption coexist.
- She argues American corruption has become legalized and institutionalized rather than purely illegal.
Corruption Evolves, It Doesn't Vanish
- Ang argues China today resembles America's historical Gilded Age rather than being uniquely corrupt.
- She says corruption evolves with development instead of disappearing as countries get richer.
Childhood Wonder At A New Train
- Ang recalls dressing up with her family to ride the new train station as a six-year-old in Singapore.
- The event showed how infrastructure once felt spectacular and later became normalized with development.
