Political scandal exposes unethical or illegal behavior by elected officials and shakes public trust. These incidents may lead to legal repercussions, like trials and convictions, or they can compel resignations or changes in political power. They may also spark wider discussions about ethics in politics and prompt calls for reform. History shows that public backlash to corruption and other misconduct often provokes political change, as exemplified by the reforms passed after Watergate and the Gilded Age.
When politicians make decisions based on private gain rather than what benefits the public, they warp policies and steal valuable resources from other needs. This corrodes our democratic institutions and harms the well-being of citizens, who then face less public education, healthcare, and infrastructure investment, among other consequences. In the United States, harmful Supreme Court decisions, an erosion of norms, and a hostility to checks and balances have created a moment when political corruption is rife.
However, merely looking at the number of scandals doesn’t tell us much about misbehavior by politicians, because scandals are driven by political calculus and partisanship more than actual misconduct. As Wioletta Dziuda and William Howell show, it’s important to separate allegations of misbehavior from accusations that are partisan in nature, since those can have disproportionate effects on voters. For instance, a politician who is accused by his or her opposition of being involved in a sex scandal will receive more negative press coverage than if the accusation was vehemently denied.
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