Menu for Public Corruption

This short course is arranged in three parts: (1) an introduction to public corruption, including the harm it does to democracy and your finances, and how the U.S. stacks up in comparison to other countries, (2) a review of what makes public corruption more likely, and (3) ways that you can contribute to the fight against corruption. There are also two annexes where you can learn more about different types of corruption and the laws against corruption. You can read through the entire course or use the menu below to skip to those topics that interest you the most.

1. INTRODUCTION
   1. Why should you care about public corruption?
   2. What is public corruption?
   3. What kinds of people and businesses become corrupt?
   4. How much public corruption is there in the USA?
   5. What do we all lose from public corruption?
      1. National Security
      2. The Economy
      3. Billions of dollars of taxpayer money
      4. Government capacity to serve
      5. Democracy in our republic
2. BENEFITS & COSTS OF PUBLIC CORRUPTION
   1. What do people gain from public corruption?
   2. What are the risks and costs of getting caught?
   3. Does less democracy make corruption more likely?
   4. Does polarization make corruption more likely?
3. HOW YOU CAN HELP FIGHT PUBLIC CORRUPTION
   1. Increasing the risk of getting caught
   2. Increasing the cost of getting caught
   3. Pushing back against democracy hypocrisy
   4. Other Important Options
4. ANNEX A: WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PUBLIC CORRUPTION?
   1. Businesses and officials trading favors (or threats).
   2. The revolving door between government and business
   3. Officials abusing their powers for partisan gain.
   4. Non-transactional abuses of office for private or partisan gains.
   5. Political party corruption.
5. ANNEX B: LAWS AGAINST CORRUPTION
   1. The U.S. Constitution
   2. Federal Laws
6. SOURCES:
   1. Books and Reports
   2. Articles