Political Corruption: A Review of the Literature

This paper analyses some of the main approaches that can be found in the literature on corruption. – the question of definition: the end of overdefinition; – the modernisation thesis: its assumptions and why some authors challenge it; – the survival of corruption in advanced democracies; – causes of corruption: a systemic and endemic phenomenon; two or more of the causes of corruption are dealt with in more detail: overregulation and the role of bureaucracy and the discretion of public officials; – money in politics: attempts at reforming the system of election financing, in particular, in the United States and the entanglement of politics and (inter)national business; – the consequences of corruption (in terms of societal values and costs); – the remedies proposed: legislation, deterrence or reforms.