Ethics in Congress [electronic resource] : from individual to institutional corruption / Dennis F. Thompson.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 191-238) and index.

Available through the EBSCO e-book Collection, which can be found on the Davenport University Library database page.

Purposes of Legislative Ethics -- Personal Ethics and Legislative Ethics -- The Priority of Legislative Ethics -- The Scope of Legislative Ethics -- Principles of Legislative Ethics -- Legislative Ethics and Institutional Corruption -- Dynamics of Legislative Corruption -- The Elements of Corruption -- The Individual Corruption of David Durenberger -- The Institutional Corruption of the Keating Five -- The Diverse Corruptions of James C. Wright, Jr. -- Gains of Office -- The Legitimacy of Personal Gain -- General Offenses -- Conflicts of Interest -- Perquisites of Office -- The Imperatives of Political Gain -- Ambition and Independence -- Fairness to Colleagues, Challengers, and Congress -- Services of Office -- Undeserved Service -- Favoritism -- Institutional Consequences of Constituent Service -- Limitations of Legal Standards -- Limitations of Ethical Standards -- Toward Stronger Standards -- Corrupt Connections -- Corrupt Motives -- Mixed Motives -- Short-Circuiting the Democratic Process -- The Root of Some Evil -- The Importance of Appearances -- Tribunals of Legislative Ethics -- The Deficiencies of Self-Discipline -- Letting Voters Decide -- Letting Courts Decide -- Strengthening the Ethics Committees -- Charges of Ethics Violations Considered by Congress, 1789-1992.

In this book, Dennis Thompson argues that the growing demand for accountability in an increasingly complicated political environment has rendered traditional codes of conduct inadequate. Shifting the focus from individual corruption to institutional corruption, the author shows how the institution itself is posing new ethical challenges and how the complexity of the environment in which members work creates new occasions for corruption and invites more calls for accountability. Thompson moves the discussion beyond bribery, extortion, and personal gain to the world of implicit understandings, ambiguous favors, and political advantage. He examines several major ethics cases of recent years, including the cases of David Durenberger, the Keating Five, and former House Speaker James Wright.

Description based on print version record.