Transparency International annually reports the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) which “measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption in 180 countries and territories. A composite index, the CPI is based on 13 different expert and business surveys.” For 2009, New Zealand ranked #1 where corruption is perceived to be smallest, whereas Somalia ranked #180 where […Full Article]
Nauro F. Campos in Vox in November 2008 presented the following: Lobbying “is a very important alternative instrument of political influence” in transition economies (economies in developing countries). The effect of lobbying in producing political influence “is always statistically significant, while that of corruption seldom is.” The “size of the effect of lobbying on political […Full Article]
Brian Wolly on PBS NewsHour in February 2006 reported previous corruption scandals: Credit Mobilier President Ulysses S. Grant coined the term “lobbying” In the 1860’s and 1870’s, Massachusetts Republican Rep. Oakland Ames sold shares of Credit Mobilier, a railroad firm, to “to his fellow congressmen at prices significantly below market value” in “exchange for support […Full Article]
A.C. Thompson and Sonya Hubbard from the Center for Investigative Reporting in April 2007 mentioned the following: The oil industry lobbied against AB 32, a California anti-warming bill. The bill was eventually signed into law. Approximately $11.5 million was devoted to stop the passage of the bill. The oil industry lobbied against Proposition 87. The […Full Article]
The Project on Government Oversight investigates government corruption on several areas, one of which is government contracts. For other investigations, click on The Project On Government Oversight (POGO). Following are the most recent government contract investigations:
Jeremy Scahill in The Nation in May 2009 mentioned the following: Master electricians testified before Congress that KBR electrical work was faulty. Senator Frank Lautenberg mentioned that 18 U.S. soldiers have died due to KBR’s work. The U.S. Department of Defense paid KBR, a Halliburton subsidiary, $80 million in bonuses for electrical wiring in Iraq. […Full Article]
Sharona Coutts in Propublica in December 2009 reported the following: Elliott Broidy, the Republican National Committee’s former finance chairman, “pleaded guilty Thursday to paying nearly $1 million in bribes to officials at New York State’s pension system” The New York pension system, with $110 billion in retirement savings, is controlled by a sole trustee with […Full Article]
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington creates an annual Top 10 Ethics Scandals. The top 10 for 2008 follows: Despite ongoing congressional scandals and the House leadership’s pledge to end the “culture of corruption,” no new ethics enforcement mechanisms have been put into place. More than 10 million e-mails mysteriously vanished from White House […Full Article]
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington creates an annual report on the most corrupt members of Congress. The 2008 list included: Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) is a first-term member of congress representing Florida’s 13th district. His ethics issues stem from pressuring his employees to make contributions to his campaign committee and improper use of […Full Article]
PACs are Political Action Committees. According to Propublica, leadership PAC’s are the 2nd largest source of money for congressmen. In 2008, less than half of leadership PAC money was spent on campaigns. Propublica has a database of every PAC expenditure. To read the article and review the database, click on Find Your Congressmember’s Leadership PAC.