Political corruption has long been a part of governance, with documented cases reaching back to ancient China, India, Greece, and Rome. The definition has changed over time, and there are many definitions today. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines corruption in these ways:
- Dishonest or illegal behavior, especially by powerful people (such as government officials or police officers)
- Inducement to do wrong by improper or unlawful means
- A departure from the original or from what is pure or correct
- Decay, decomposition
We believe most people have the first or second definitions in mind when they think of political corruption. One of the most concise and widely used definitions of political corruption is the abuse of public power for private gain.
There are three broad reasons why people engage in political corruption:
- Getting money or valuable gifts. For example, a meat packing plant might bribe a food inspector from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in exchange for favorable treatment. Or a U.S. Senator could use his office to do political favors in exchange for bribes of cash and luxury items.
- Getting power. In some countries, people can bribe high officials to appoint them to political offices. In the U.S., many political offices were given to people who raised a lot of money for the party in control. This kind of corruption has been steadily reduced by two reforms: the Pendleton Act of 1883, which requires most federal jobs to be given on the basis of experience, knowledge, and skill, and the 1939 Hatch Act of 1939, which makes it illegal for federal employees to campaign or be required to campaign for candidates during work hours.
- Getting votes and thus power. Back in the days before the secret ballot was introduced, political parties and candidates would often bribe people to vote for them. And if bribes didn’t work, sometimes the voters got beatings instead! Another tactic, most often seen in highly corrupt countries, is to bribe or threaten the people who count the votes.
A lot of effort has been made from the late 1800s onward to reduce political corruption in the U.S. federal government. According to one measure provided by Transparency International, by 2015, only 15 national governments were judged to be less corrupt than the U.S. federal government. The U.S. position has worsened since then. As of 2024, 27 national governments were judged less corrupt than ours.
Why it matters: Political corruption undermines the legitimacy of government and its capacity. Lawmakers become more motivated by the money and power they can gain than the votes they can earn from solving our problems. Voters become convinced the only way they can get their politicians to pay attention to their needs is to bribe them. Political corruption also erodes the capacity of government to keep us safe and deliver public services. The police, the judges, the people who are supposed to ensure our food and medicine are safe, and so on, will be staffed by people who got their jobs through campaign donations, favors, or bribes rather than ability and knowledge – and they may not want to do those jobs without being bribed by people who want their help.
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