Corruption in Argentina, like corruption in the USA, is on the level of Oligarchs doing deals with their pet politicians. Like the 20 plus years they have been "building" the Sarmiento line.
The idea that the average Argentine is a corrupt, lazy, child who cannot work is simply imperialism. Its not true. The problems are structural, and they were created intentionally to benefit the 30 or so richest families, who still own most of everything, and who still are not taxed on the vast majority of their wealth or income.
I have never been asked for a bribe for anything here, nor have customs agents taken a percentage of the stuff in my suitcase- both of which happen in countries that are really "corrupt".
Austerity has failed, every time its been used, because its not an actual economic theory- its either ideology, or an attempt to "punish" the working people, cynically ignoring the rich, who continue to prosper.
Israel, in the early 50s, did not have Austerity- they had government controlled rationing, and price and wage controls, much like the US or the UK during WW2. It was a survival technique, not an economic policy to reduce debt. And real economists consider it a failure. The debt in Israel was paid off when government-private partnerships began exporting high tech, mostly military, hardware.
Serbia is an Autocratic single person ruled state- to consider it a "success" because the completely non-transparent government has reduced some external debt, while taking over many industries and selling others to rich friends, and destroying the democratic process, is, well, dreaming.
Punishing the working class, rather than taxing the actual wealth flows, and avoiding structural reform of the financial industries, is a sham. It doesnt increase the health of the economy- it leads to cynical "revolutions" like Brexit. The UK economy, after Austerity, is mostly worse, except for the foreign cash that flows thru multinationals in the City.
