A lucid perspective on the state of congressional ethics by
Thompson (Political philosophy/Harvard). At a time of rock-bottom
public confidence, Thompson finds that the perceived rise in
congressional corruption owes more to higher standards and
increased public scrutiny than it does to a decline in political
morality. Thompson seeks to shift the emphasis away from cases of
individual corruption, which make for good copy and provide
opportunities for cathartic voter outrage but are often relatively
harmless. Private sexual peccadilloes, for instance, are a personal
matter. The author's concern is the grayer area of institutional
corruption: instances where legislators improperly pursue
political, not personal, gain. Determining what constitutes such
corruption can be a sticky issue of institutional norms, but the
practice is insidious - and strikes at the heart of the institution
itself, argues Thompson. Recognizing such cases is difficult
because they are often almost indistinguishable from acceptable
political behavior. While political gain is a reasonable goal of
politicians, for instance, it becomes unethical when it leads to
misuse of political power or the promotion of self-interest at the
expense of public interest. Thus, if, in responding to a valid
constituent complaint, a legislator threatens an administrative
agency with a funding cut, the legislator may be guilty of
institutional corruption. Thompson decorates his scholarly study
with amusing anecdotes and addresses more seriously three cases of
congressional corruption that illuminate his points - those of the
Keating Five, David Durenburger, and former House Speaker James
Wright. Thompson's suggestions - education, efforts to define the
ethical ground involved, and a beefed-up ethics commission composed
of citizens - are level-headed, if a bit underwhelming. Readable,
erudite, and subtly argued. Probing and yet optimistic, Thompson
cuts to the chase of a fevered issue, providing a sound look at
what we should and shouldn't be worried about in this complicated
debate. (Kirkus Reviews)
More members of Congress have been investigated and sanctioned
for ethical misconduct in the past decade and a half than in the
entire previous history of the institution. But individual members
are probably less corrupt than they once were. Stricter ethics
codes and closer scrutiny by the press and public have imposed
standards no previous representatives have had to face. Dennis
Thompson shows how the institution itself is posing new ethical
challenges, how the complexity of the environment in which members
work creates new occasions for corruption and invites more calls
for accountability.
Instead of the individual corruption that has long been the
center of attention, Thompson focuses on institutional corruption
which refers to conduct that under certain conditions is an
acceptable part of the job of a representative. Members are
required to solicit campaign contributions, and they are expected
to help constituents with their problems with government, but some
ways of doing these jobs give rise to institutional corruption. The
author moves the discussion beyond bribery, extortion, and simple
personal gain to delve into implicit understandings, ambiguous
favors, and political advantage.
Thompson examines many major ethics cases of recent years. Among
them: the case of David Durenberger, accused of supplementing his
income through book promotions; the case of the Keating Five,
accused of using undue influence with the Federal Home Loan Bank
Board on behalf of Lincoln Savings and Loan owner Charles Keating;
and the case of House Speaker James Wright, accused of several
offenses.
Thompson shows why neither the electoral process nor the
judicial process is sufficient and argues for stronger ethics
committees and the creation of a new quasi-independent body to take
over some of the enforcement process. He offers more than a dozen
recommendations for changes in the procedures and practices of
ethics in Congress.
The book features a listing of ethics charges, classified by
type of corruption, considered by Congress from 1789 to 1992.
Selected by Choice as an Outstanding Book of 1995
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