"A subtle and wide-ranging typology of the connections between families and public corruption. Illuminated with contemporary examples, Jancsics contrasts regimes where family connections corruptly allocate public benefits with extreme cases of "dynastic corruption"--where corrupt leaders entrench their offspring to succeed them."(Susan-Rose Ackerman, Henry R. Luce Professor Emeritus of Law and Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Yale University, USA) "This book explores an uncomfortable truth: the very foundation of human society is also its weakness. The ambivalence of family, or its dual role as both supportive and subversive force within society, is key to differentiate between relationship per se and the instrumental use of the relationship. Family ties help navigate the fine lines between the personal, corporate, and political. They enable but also constrain. Each chapter illustrates a point on a spectrum, ranging from legitimate family businesses and socially acceptable family aid as survival strategies to the more dubious exploitation by powerful dynasties that capture state resources for personal gain.

The insights presented in this book are both alarming and compelling, challenging readers to reconsider the complexities of familial loyalty in the context of corruption." (Alena Ledeneva, Professor of Politics and Society, University College London, UK; Founder of the Global Informality Project) "Jancsics skillfully develops and weaves together concepts relating to family, corruption, and family corruption. He provides many interesting examples, and, as such, this book genuinely breaks new ground." (Adam Graycar, Professor Emeritus of Public Policy, University of Adelaide, Australia).