Harvard Study Ranks States By Public Corruption: See How RI Scored
Monday, January 12, 2015
Harvard University recently ranked the most and least corrupt states in the country, and Rhode Island might not rank where you think it does. The Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics surveyed news and investigative reporters covering issues related to corruption during the first half of 2014. According to the report, "Reporters have a better knowledge of state governments and spend a great deal of time observing the government officials and interacting with them." Nearly 1,000 reporters were contacted, and 280 replied. Lousiana, historically known as one of the most corrupt states in the union, had no reporters reply to the inquiry and therefore isn't included in this study.
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Rankings are broken down into two categories for each branch of government: "legal corruption" and "illegal corruption." Illegal corruption is defined by the study as "the private gains in the form of cash or gifts by a government official, in exchange for providing specific benefits to private individuals or groups." The study defines legal corruption as "political gains in the form of campaign contributions or endorsements by a government official, in exchange for providing specific benefits to private individuals or groups, be it by explicit or implicit understanding."
See where Rhode Island ranks in comparison to other states in the slideshow below:
Related Slideshow: See How RI Scored Ranks for Public Corruption
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