Political Corruption

In parallel with growing social scientific interest in the topic of corruption, there has been a growing debate on the very definition of the phenomenon. True, there is a broad consensus on conceptualizing (political and bureaucratic) corruption as abuse by a public agent. However, this definition raises the problem of establishing the standards against which misuse of power can be assessed. Formal norms, public interest, public opinion – all might be included here. Moreover, abuses of power for private gain can assume different forms. Besides corruption in a strict sense, embezzlement, favouritism, nepotism, clientelism, vote-buying, fraud, extortion and maladministration are often used as synonymous or corresponding terms to describe corrupt relationships involving public administrators. This chapter examines the various forms of political corruption and the debates that surround the issue