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 public corruption involving government officials.
One of the most concise and widely used definitions of public corruption is “the abuse of entrusted power for personal gain.” We expand upon that definition in a way that lets us address some specific aspects of public corruption: “Public corruption is the abuse of official positions or public trust for illegitimate partisan and/or private gain.”
Why this topic matters: Public corruption does real harm, often to people just like you. When those in governmental power abuse their offices for any of the many reasons defined in this course, then citizens are always hurt, whether from higher prices, lower living standards, threats to personal safety and freedom, or greater national security risks. The perpetrators of public corruption in all its forms strive to take advantage of the many to serve the few. That runs counter to the idea of American democracy of, by, and for the people. Indeed, in some times and places, entire governments have been effectively captured by corrupt groups. There are many laws against public corruption, but constant pressure from citizens is the key to ensuring they are enforced.
“The time to guard against corruption and tyranny is before they shall have gotten hold of us. It is better to keep the wolf out of the fold than to trust to drawing his teeth and talons after he shall have entered.” – Thomas Jefferson, 1785
“If we do not provide against corruption, our government will soon be at an end; nor would I wish to put a man of virtue in the way of temptation.”—George Mason, Virginia delegate to the Constitutional Convention, 1787
