Municipal Corruption: From Policies to People

This book represents the most comprehensive exploration of corruption in U.S. municipal governments written to date.

Exploring the 30-year time period from 1990 to 2020 and including all U.S. municipalities with populations of 10,000 people or more, Municipal Corruption: From Policies to People uses both quantitative research and case study analysis to answer the question of why some municipalities fall victim to corrupt acts, while others do not. It tells the stories of a number of communities that suffered through public corruption, investigating factors that contribute to a greater risk of corruption in municipalities, and identifying steps to prevent corruption in communities--including strengthening resident interest and involvement in local affairs, offsetting the decline in local journalism, and reinforcing scrutiny by state governments.

Municipal Corruption is ideal supplemental reading for courses on ethics, public affairs, local government, and urban affairs, and it will be immeasurably useful to municipalities considering how to better insulate themselves and their constituents from corrupt acts.

Kimberly L. Nelson is Professor of Public Administration and Government in the School of Government at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA. Dr. Nelson’s research on form of government, corruption, and innovation has been published in Public Administration Review, The American Review of Public Administration, State and Local Government Review, and other journals. As a member of the Center for Public Leadership and Governance, she conducts training and provides advice on leadership and management topics. Dr. Nelson is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and co-editor of State and Local Government Review.

Whitney B. Afonso is Professor of Public Administration and Government in the School of Government at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA. Dr. Afonso’s research focuses on state and local public finance with an emphasis on local sales taxes. Her work has been published in Public Administration Review, National Tax Journal, Public Budgeting & Finance, and other journals. She serves on the executive committee of the Association for Budgeting and Financial Management and on the editorial boards of Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory and Public Budgeting & Finance.