ABSTRACT
Transparency International (TI), the global coalition against corruption, defines corruption on its website as “the abuse of entrusted power for private gain.” John Noonan, in one of the seminal explorations of the subject, defines bribery as “an inducement improperly influencing the performance of a public function meant to be gratuitously exercised” (Noonan, 1984, p. xi). For the purposes of this discussion, bribery will be understood as any attempt, whether successful or not, to persuade someone in a position of responsibility to make a decision or recommendation on grounds other than the intrinsic merits of the case, with a view to the advantage or advancement of him or herself or another person or group to which he or she is linked through personal commitment, obligation or employment, or individual, professional or group loyalty. The virtue of this more comprehensive definition is that it recognizes that bribery and corruption can be motivated by a wide range of considerations, including friendship, family loyalty, and the fulfillment of family obligations and group or institutional values that, taken on their own or considered in the abstract, would normally be regarded as commendable.
