{"product_id":"political-corruption-the-underside-of-civic-morality-hardback-9780812250879","title":"Political Corruption; The Underside of Civic Morality (Hardback) 9780812250879","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003ePolitical Corruption\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eThe Underside of Civic Morality\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eRobert Alan Sparling (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780812250879\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eHardback, published 17 May 2019\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e272 pages\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 2.6 cm, 0.594 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\"\u003ci\u003ePolitical Corruption\u003c\/i\u003e has much to recommend it. Sparling provide snuanced readings of canonical texts, finding surprising commonalities across varying historical contexts, while not shying away from substantial differences, particularly in how different arrangements of state power may lead to differing conceptions of political dysfunction. And he makes a compelling case for the continued robustness of these several modes of corruption discourse. The book is also written with real humor and brio; it is an all-too-rare pleasure to burst out laughing when reading an academic monograph, much less one on such an otherwise gloomy topic.\" (\u003ci\u003eH-FRANCE\u003c\/i\u003e) \"In his striking and worthwhile juxtapositions of familiar and lesser-known thinkers, Robert Alan Sparling displays a sophisticated grip on the theories of his subjects and makes an original contribution to our understanding of the idea of political corruption.\" (Christopher Brooke, University of Cambridge) \"Fluid, erudite, impressive in scope, and with moments of wit and humor, \u003ci\u003ePolitical Corruption\u003c\/i\u003e illuminates the broad meaning of corruption in modern political thought as well as in everyday political discourse.\" (Emily C. Nacol, University of Toronto)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe notion of corruption as a problem for politics spans many centuries and political, social, and cultural contexts. But it is incredibly difficult to define what we mean when we describe a regime or actor as corrupt: while corruption suggests a falling away from purity, health, or integrity, it flourishes today in an environment that is often inarticulate about its moral ideals and wary of perfectionist discourse. Providing a historical perspective on the idea, Robert Alan Sparling explores diverse visions of corruption that have been elucidated by thinkers across the modern philosophical tradition.\u003cbr\u003e In a series of chronologically ordered philosophical portraits, \u003ci\u003ePolitical Corruption\u003c\/i\u003e considers the different ways in which a metaphor of impurity, disease, and dissolution was deployed by political philosophers from the Renaissance to the early twentieth century. Focusing specifically on the thought of Erasmus, \u0026amp;Eacute;tienne de La BoÉtie, Machiavelli, Montesquieu, Bolingbroke, Robespierre, Kant, and Weber, Sparling situates these thinkers in their historical contexts and argues that each of them offers a distinctive vision of corruption that has continuing relevance in contemporary political debates. He contrasts immoderate purists with impure moderates and reveals corruption to be a language of reaction and revolution. The book explores themes such as the nature of civic trust and distrust; the relationship of transparency to accountability; the integrity of leaders and the character of uncorrupted citizens; the division between public and private; the nature of dependency; and the relationship between regime and civic disposition.\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003ePolitical Corruption\u003c\/i\u003e examines how philosophers have conceived of public office and its abuse and how they have sought to insulate the public sphere from anticivic inclinations and interests. Sparling argues that speaking coherently about political corruption in our present moment requires a robust account of the good regime and of the character of its citizens and officeholders.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePreface. What Is Political Corruption?\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 1. Corruption Discourse and the Ubiquity of Distinctions\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 2. The Character of Rulers: Corruption and Integrity in Erasmus's \u003ci\u003eEducation of a Christian Prince\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 3. The Character of Citizens, Part I: Virtue and Corruption in the Machiavellian Republic of Distrust\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 4. The Character of Citizens, Part II: \u0026amp;Eacute;tienne de La BoÉtie on Corruption, Transparency, and the Republicanism of Trust\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 5. Corruption, Social Change, and the Constitution: The Case of Viscount Bolingbroke\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 6. \"La vertu mÊme a besoin de limites\": Montesquieu on Moderation and Integrity in the Modern Commercial Republic\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 7. Kant, Robespierre, and the Politics of Purity\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 8. Purity and the Public Official: Max Weber on Bureaucratic Integrity\u003cbr\u003e Conclusion. The Abuse of Public Things\u003cbr\u003e Notes\u003cbr\u003e Bibliography\u003cbr\u003e Index\u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgments\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"University of Pennsylvania Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52559225127192,"sku":"9780812250879","price":41.89,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/political-corruption-the-underside-of-civic-morality-hardback-9780812250879","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}