Graft, as understood in
American English
American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the most widely spoken language in the United States and in most circumstances ...
, is a form of
political corruption defined as the unscrupulous use of a politician's
authority for personal gain. Political graft occurs when funds intended for
public projects are intentionally misdirected in order to maximize the benefits to private interests.
Political graft functions when the public officer is directed to purchase goods or services from a
specific private interest at a cost far above regular
market rates. The private interest then siphons some of the gratuitous
profits to government officials who are able to ensure that future
government spending continues in the same fashion so that this lucrative relationship continues. A member of a government may
misappropriate directly from government funds, but they may also make decisions benefiting their own private economic interests by using inside knowledge of upcoming government decisions to their benefit, in a manner similar to
insider trading.
Although
the conflict
''The Conflict'' is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by Ralph Ince and starring Lucille Lee Stewart, Huntley Gordon and Wilfred Lytell.Connelly p.51
Cast
* Lucille Lee Stewart as Madeleine Turner
* Jessie Miller as Jeanette Harcourt ...
between public and private interests is common to all forms of corruption, the term "graft" is specific to the intentional misdirection of official funds. Although not the original usage of the term, graft in the modern context is commonly used as a blanket term for political
embezzlement,
influence peddling, or other forms of corruption. While embezzlement and influence peddling are elements sometimes present in graft, the relationship is not deterministic.
See also
*
Corruption
*
Cronyism
*
Inside job
*
Money trail
"Follow the money" is a catchphrase popularized by the 1976 docudrama film '' All the President's Men'', which suggests political corruption can be brought to light by examining money transfers between parties.
Origin
For the film, screenwriter ...
*
Nepotism
*
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
*
Political corruption
*
Political finance
Political corruption
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