Political Issues: Political Corruption

Summary

Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by private persons or corporations not directly involved with the government. An illegal act by an officeholder constitutes political corruption only if the act is directly related to their official duties.

All forms of government are susceptible to political corruption. Forms of corruption vary, but include bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, patronage, graft, and embezzlement. While corruption may facilitate criminal enterprise such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and trafficking, it is not restricted to these activities.

The activities that constitute illegal corruption differ depending on the country or jurisdiction. For instance, certain political funding practices that are legal in one place may be illegal in another. In some cases, government officials have broad or poorly defined powers, which make it difficult to distinguish between legal and illegal actions.

Corruption of all forms is rampant around the world. Worldwide, bribery alone is estimated to involve over 1 trillion US dollars annually. A state of unrestrained political corruption is known as a kleptocracy, literally meaning “rule by thieves”.

Important Political Related Issues

Political Corruption – Better Government Association Non-partisan watchdog group dedicated to investigating and exposing waste, fraud, and corruption in government.

Political Cooruption – … Campaign Finance, Bribery, and Political Corruption. Unlike Ed Still, I don’t regularly cover “politicians in trouble. …

External LInks to Political Corruption

Political Cooruption – How does successful fighting corruption in the region Asia Pacific look like? This key question was at the centre of today’s Transparency International Asia …

References

http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_corruption