Conceptions of Political Corruption in Antiquity

  • Bruce Buchan
  • Lisa Hill
Chapter
Part of the Political Corruption and Governance book series (PCG)

Abstract

It is a commonplace of the literature on corruption that modern usage of the term — denoting the use of public office for private (pecuniary) gain — has substantially changed from Ancient Greek, Roman and Medieval usages. The Ancient Greeks and Romans certainly talked about the problems of bribery or buying judicial decisions, activities we would not hesitate to describe as acts of corruption, but they were often framed by concerns about moral corruption, something largely missing from late modern and contemporary discourse. Corruption for us represents a form of conduct, such as bribery, in which an individual or group acts in such a way as to exploit public office for personal gain.1 Corruption may also be applied to a whole regime or polity in which the principles of public office are systematically distorted to favour particular groups or factions. The connotation of moral degeneracy is certainly a feature or an implication of contemporary understandings of corruption, though it tends to be overshadowed by concerns about market distortion or lack of governmental probity and transparency. For the Ancient Greeks and Romans, however, the understanding of corruption also imbibed notions of utter destruction, perversion, decay or ruin.2 This imagery became even more striking when overlaid by Judeo-Christian associations between corruption and death, and by the pervasive influence of the metaphor of the body politic, as will be shown in the following chapters.

Keywords

Intellectual History Body Politic Wealth Inequality Political Corruption Private Gain 
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Notes

  1. 1.
    The Oxford English Dictionary defines political corruption as ‘[pjerversion or destruction of integrity in the discharge of public duties by bribery or favour’. While this conception emphasises the perversion of integrity, J.S. Nye’s définition focuses more on the actions themselves. Here, corruption is defined as ‘behaviour which deviates from the normal duties of a public role because of private-regarding… pecuniary or status gains… this includes such behaviour as bribery… nepotism… and misappropriation’ (J.S. Nye (2009) ‘Corruption and Political Development: A Cost-Benefit Analysis’ in A.J. Heidenheimer and M. Johnston (eds) Political Corruption: Concepts and Contexts (New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers), p. 281).Google Scholar
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Copyright information

© Bruce Buchan and Lisa Hill 2014

Authors and Affiliations

  • Bruce Buchan
    • 1
    • 2
  • Lisa Hill
    • 3
  1. 1.ARC Centre of Excellence in Policing and SecurityGriffith UniversityAustralia
  2. 2.School of HumanitiesGriffith UniversityAustralia
  3. 3.University of AdelaideAustralia

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