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corruption

Also known as public corruption

Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities like bribery, influence peddling, embezzlement, and fraud as well as practices that are legal in many countries, such as lobbying. Political corruption occurs when an office-holder or other governmental employee acts in an official capacity for personal gain.

AI overview

Corruption happens when someone in a position of power—like a government official or organization leader—dishonestly uses that power for personal benefit through actions like bribery, embezzlement, or fraud. It matters because it undermines trust in institutions, diverts resources away from their intended purposes, and harms the people who depend on those in positions of authority to act fairly.

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Commons category: Corruption
P8168: orange-bellied trogon

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~65 min read

Article

52 sections

Contents

Definitions and scales
Petty theft, grand theft, speed money, access money
Petty corruption
Grand corruption
Systemic corruption
State-business collusion
Causes{{anchor|Causes_of_corruption}}
By sector
Public sector
Political
Judicial
Military
Natural resources
Police
Private sector
Legal
Corporate
Education
Healthcare
Labor unions
Stock market corruption
Arms trafficking
Philosophy
Religious organizations
Methods
Bribery
Embezzlement, theft and fraud
Graft
Extortion and blackmail
Access money
Influence peddling
Networking
Abuse of discretion
Favoritism, nepotism and clientelism
State capture
Legal corruption
Examples
Foreign corrupt practices of industrialized OECD countries 1994 study
"Specific" legal corruption: exclusively against foreign countries
Siemens corruption case
Measurement
Relationship to economic growth
Prevention
Competition law
Enhancing civil society participation
Anti-corruption programmes
In popular culture
Historical responses in philosophical and religious thought
Corruption by country
See also
References
Further reading

Historically, "corruption" had a broader meaning concerned with an activity's impact on morals and societal well-being: for example, the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates was condemned to death in part for "corrupting the young".