In an October 2017 poll, Americans named “corruption of government officials” as their top fear, ranking it above North Korea’s use of nuclear weapons. According to the Pew Research Center, the last decade has been the longest stretch of low trust in government since 1958, when Americans were first polled on the question.
Over the years, the U.S. has put into place tough laws to stop American companies from engaging in corruption overseas. Despite evidence of corruption in our own government, however, we too often accept it rather than put forth ideas to curtail it. To root out corruption and restore faith and trust in government, this report outlines a series of ideas and policy options.