• 1. Introduction: why study buying and selling offices?; 2. Landscape: how widespread are the offices put up for sale?; 3. Typology: how does the sale of offices work?; 4. Causes: why is buying and selling offices possible?; 5. Purchase versus performance and patronage: a third paradigm?; 6. Restart the party: how central authorities combat personnel corruption; References.

'This book adds a new dimension to corruption studies by examining an underexplored form of official transgression: personnel corruption, also known as the buying and selling of government posts. Drawing on two novel self-compiled datasets, the book presents an insightful fourfold taxonomy of office sales: primitive bribery, evolved bribery, office-selling syndicates, and oligarchical power bases. Its tripartite framework of performance, patronage, and purchase illuminates the dynamics of political selection in specific contexts. With its conceptual clarity, solid theoretical foundation, rich evidence, and sophisticated analysis, the book advances scholarly research on corruption to a more nuanced level. The argument that bribery can become a third path to power carries significant practical implications for controlling corruption. The book is a must-read for scholars, students, and policymakers who seek a deeper understanding of hidden forms of corruption, their complex nature, and the dynamics that sustain them.' Ting Gong, City University of Hong Kong