Corruption is the abuse of public office for private gain. The World Bank estimates that one trillion dollars is paid in illegal bribes annually, and about $40 billion is looted each year by corrupt officials. Corruption follows opportunity and is both local and global. Corruption hurts people, disrupts communities and societies, and has great personal and economic costs. Corruption includes bribery, misappropriation, extortion, patronage, self-dealing (hiring one’s friends or one’s own companies to provide funded services), job manipulation and state capture.
A number of institutions at both the global and national level either directly address corrupt practices, or anti-corruption measures otherwise form a signficant part of their raison d’être.