On Corruption in Pluralistic Oligarchies

Political corruption in US political society is discussed. Defining corruption as the exchange of favors, the questions pursued are: (1) under what conditions does corruption come about & come to be perceived, & (2) what are its major forms in advanced industrial societies like that of the US. Analysis shows that corruption: (A) is tied to the violation of rules & norms related to common understandings of the public interest, (B) occurs by way of clandestine exchanges or barters, (C) affords access to influence, which (D) translates into tangible benefits. The probability of the appearance & perception of corruption depends on the dominant system of norms characteristic of a political society, & its f is positively correlated with the number of rules & laws. Because this study follows the case study method, most of its propositions remain to be empirically proven. However, abstraction has been attempted to formulate propositions capable of throwing light on the situation in other advanced industrial societies. Modified HA.