A new study from researchers at the University of Hong Kong and Indiana University puts Pennsylvania in the U.S. top ten list of most corrupt states.
The authors of the study researched the impact of public officials’ corruption on the size and allocation of U.S. state spending. They believe that corruption would cause state spending to be artificially elevated. The study was conducted from 1997-2008.
They suggest that “corruption is likely to distort states’ public resource allocations in favor of higher-potential “bribe-generating” spending and items directly beneficial to public officials, such as capital, construction, highways, borrowing, and total salaries and wages.”
1. Mississippi
2. Louisiana
3. Tennessee
4. Illinois
5. Pennsylvania
6. Alabama
7. Alaska
8. South Dakota
9. Kentucky
10. Florida
