MEMBERSHIP

Event: Causes and Costs of Corruption

Apr
14

Causes and Costs of Corruption

Highland Park Historical Society will host on Thursday April 14th at 7:00 PM ‘Causes and Costs of Corruption,’ presented by Juliet Sorensen.

Highland Park Historical Society will host on Thursday April 14th at 7:00 PM ‘Causes and Costs of Corruption,’ presented by Juliet Sorensen.

Public corruption is the abuse of public office for private gain.  This presentation examines the causes of corruption, including weak institutions, low government wages, and cultural factors.  It also considers the effects of corruption on economic growth and human development.  It concludes with an analysis of what is needed to effect change in a culture of corruption.

Corruption saps growth and morale.  The qualified job applicant who loses out to the unqualified one on the basis of the latter’s connections, the real estate developer who waits months for a building permit that will bring jobs and revenue to a city while developers who pay bribes in exchange for permits to perform construction that is not in compliance with the building code endanger the public safety – these individuals and many others experience the costs of corruption firsthand.

This issue has a long history inIllinoisand is no less relevant today.  Thus, Illinoisans could benefit from understanding the conditions that have given rise to a culture of corruption in our state, the significant economic and other costs of corruption, and what they might be able to do toward changing the culture that perpetuates it.

Juliet Sorensen is a Clinical Associate Professor of Law with the law school’s Center for International Human Rights, where her teaching and research interests include international criminal law and corruption. From 2003-2010, Professor Sorensen was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago, focusing on fraud and public corruption. In 2010, Professor Sorensen was appointed to the American Bar Association’s Global Anti-Corruption Task Force. She is the co-author of Public Corruption and the Law: Local, National, International, to be published in 2016 by West Academic.

‘Causes and Costs of Corruption,’  will be presented at the Highland Park Public Library Auditorium 494 Laurel Avenue, Highland Park. For further information, please contact the Highland Park Historical Society: 847.432.7090 or archives@highlandparkhistory.org.Admission is free.

‘Causes and Costs of Corruption,’  will be presented at the Highland Park Public Library Auditorium 494 Laurel Avenue, Highland Park. For further information, please contact the Highland Park Historical Society: 847.432.7090 or archives@highlandparkhistory.org.Admission is free.