The author offers a systematic, dispassionate analysis of political corruption, first examining and rebutting common defenses such as claims that corruption promotes business efficiency, protects social order, or is an inevitable stage of progress. He proposes a clear ethical definition that distinguishes corruption from bribery and from mere inefficiency, analyzes motives, rewards, degrees of personal and partisan interest, and shows how corruption adapts across institutions. Historical and comparative examples illustrate persistent forms, changing modalities, and practical limits, while later chapters extend the inquiry to corrupting influences in professions, journalism, and higher education.
