The term local government can mean different things depending on what system of government is being used. The basic concept is a district that has the authority and power of local self-government. Usually, local governments must answer to or share authority with the national government, central government, or federal government, but again this depends on what type of government exists in that area. A self governing district is called a municipality in political terms. Municipalities can consist of one or more regions, states, provinces, cities, towns, villages, or counties.

 Local public officials who hold positions of power in a municipality many times misuse or abuse their power for dishonest or unlawful gain. The improper use of influence, power, or other means for private gain is called corruption. Citizens and voters may have a slightly different view of political corruption and may think of it as when a candidate was promises something they are not planning on falling through with.

Opportunities to engage in corruption are numerous in local governments because of the many personal relationships involved and the trust given to local governing officials. Certain demographic factors may exist within a municipality that can lead to or encourage corruption within a local government. Demographic factors pertain to demography which is the study of human population statistics, changes, and trends including personal characteristics of humans like population size, migration, age, gender, social class, level of education, race, religion, occupation, and family status. Because there are many factors that can lead to corruption in local government it is hard to study corruption patterns empirically, but recently, improved research strategies and information sources have made such studies better.

Types of Corruption Found in Local Government There are several types of political corruption that occur in local government. Some are more common than others, and some are more prevalent to local governments than to larger segments of government.

Local governments may be more susceptible to corruption because interactions between private individuals and officials happen at greater levels of intimacy and with more frequency at more decentralized levels.

Forms of corruption pertaining to money like bribery, extortion, embezzlement, and graft are found in local government systems. Other forms of political corruption are nepotism and patronage systems.

Bribery is the offering of something which is most often money but can also be goods or services in order to gain an unfair advantage.

Common advantages can be to sway a person’s opinion, action, or decision, reduce amounts fees collected, speed up a government grants, or change outcomes of legal processes.

 Extortion is threatening or inflicting harm to a person, their reputation, or their property in order to unjustly obtain money, actions, services, or other goods from that person. Blackmail is a form of extortion.

Embezzlement is the illegal taking or appropriation of money or property that has been entrusted to a person but is actually owned by another. In political terms this is called graft which is when a political office holder unlawfully uses public funds for personal purposes.

 Nepotism is the practice or inclination to favor a group or person who is a relative when giving promotions, jobs, raises, and other benefits to employees. This is often based on the concept of familism which is believing that a person must always respect and favor family in all situations including those pertaining to politics and business. This leads some political officials to give privileges and positions of authority to relatives based on relationships and regardless of their actual abilities.

Patronage systems consist of the granting favors, contracts, or appointments to positions by a local public office holder or candidate for a political office in return for political support. Many times patronage is used to gain support and votes in elections or in passing legislation. Patronage systems disregard the formal rules of a local government and use personal instead of formalized channels to gain an advantage.