ABSTRACT
In classical political philosophy, the definition of corruption was broadly linked to the decadence of a political system and civilization. Later, in eighteenth-century Britain, the concept became more restricted, referring to specific illicit practices, and a particular emphasis was put on the corruption of people in public positions of power who took bribes. Corruption could be described referring to Dante’s expression, ‘money makes no become yes’, for it is basically the exchange of an act (of power) for money or other benefits (Caferra 1992). Corruption occurs when money is used to pay for the illicit use of power for private gain. Contemporary Western society is characterized by the prevalence of a market economy based on the dynamics of demand and supply, in which public power can be seen as an obstacle, to be subjected to various forms of illicit control or exchange. As it is shown by the Italian case, when public power is subjected to the logic of the market such illicit control and exchange tend to happen at two different levels. At a high level, the commodification of public power involves illicit exchanges among political parties, trade unions, bureaucracy and various élite groups that become the driving force of powerful networks. At a lower level, it involves relationships between politicians and electors based on the illicit exchange of public resources for political support. As a consequence, a conflict soon arises between the legal sanction of corruption and a widespread tendency to justify it in real life. In such a context, the fight against corruption relies on a morally and legally superior ethics stressing the principle that public power must be exercised freely and in the public interest.
