ABSTRACT
The rewards offered to high public officials provide a window into the manner in which political systems function, and the underlying values that guide those systems. Looking at these rewards with a comparative perspective provides even more insight into governments because we can see the differences among the political systems as well as how they have changed over time. The data presented here focus primarily on the visible, tangible rewards offered to public officials, and hence are only part of the total rewards these officials receive. Despite that limitation, they do provide substantial insight into variations and trends in paying high public office as well as into variations between political systems.
