Corruption In Boo's Behind The Beautiful Forevers

In Boo’s portrayal of Annawadi, state institutions are weak, insufficient, and often corrupted, forcing citizens to fend for themselves: relying on bribery, joining in on the corruption, or the private sector. The inability to trust the public sectors create insecurity and the inefficiency of state institutions results in a failure to provide for its citizens. The government’s attempts at poverty alleviation frequently do not reach the intended recipient. One of the book’s characters, Asha, runs a scam pairing individuals with loans meant to support entrepreneurship (25). These entrepreneurs’ businesses, however, are fictitious and Asha, alongside the bank manager, takes a cut of the loan. Programs such as these, on paper, appear to aid development in India but in fact, often do little to support …show more content…
In Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Asha gains influence in the Shiv Sena party through personal favors and manipulation of the system. She uses her influence to help campaign for certain government officials not because of their platform, but for their ability to aid her rise in power. As officials are elected through careful manipulation and are lack accountability, they often do not responsive to their constituents. The legal system is also laced with corruption, eliciting bribes for basic services or to avoid beatings. In Annawadi, innocence is bought and sold. Abdul and his family are accused of setting ‘One Leg’ on fire and although there were no grounds for his arrest, officers held him in the station and tried to beat a confession out of him. Public defenders are renowned for their uselessness and private lawyers are the only viable alternative, provided the accused can afford it. Injustice was ingrained into every aspect of Abdul’s imprisonment and court process, underscoring how corrupted and weak institutions lead to the exploitation of vulnerable