La corruzione istituzionale: Un approccio causale

In this paper I provide an analysis of institutional corruption. Institutional corruption is exemplified by a diverse array of phenomena that can take somewhat different forms in different institutions and arise from different motives. That said, there are generic forms of corruption, such as bribery and abuse of authority, that take place across the institutional spectrum. Many definitions of institutional corruption are couched in terms of allegedly inherent properties of all corrupt actions, such as that they all involve the abuse of authority and the motive of personal gain. In this paper my aim is to outline a causal theory of corruption. On this kind of theory whether or not an action is a species of institutional corruption does not depend on any of its inherent properties but rather depends on its untoward institutional effects; specifically, its tendency to undermine institutions.