Corruption in Government

American politics is a cesspool of corruption. That, at least, is the sentiment expressed by Americans in a recent Gallup poll. When asked if corruption was widespread throughout government in this country, 89 percent of respondents said yes. That percentage was a new high, a roughly 30-point increase in the last 20 years. Unclear in the poll, however, is, simply: What is corruption? Narrowly defined, corruption involves a public official using his/her office for personal gain. Or politicians accepting bribes or contributions in exchange for favorable governmental treatment. But the guess here is that Americans think of corruption in a much broader sense, perhaps believing that any politician who behaves badly can be considered corrupt. Or, more cynically, that “corrupt politician” is a redundancy. Plenty of laws, professional standards, and Constitutional directives are designed to rein in corruption, but they don’t always provide clarity.

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