Illinois corruption is infamous.
From Chicago aldermen with nicknames like Fast Eddie, Bathhouse and Hinky Dink. To imprisoned governors like Rod Blagojevich and George Ryan. To the Richard J. Daley machine and its most prolific political products: Ed Burke and Michael Madigan.
But what makes Illinois so corrupt?
Scholars like University of Illinois-Chicago Professor Dick Simpson have argued corruption is a cultural problem in Illinois. Rather than a culture of public service and integrity, Chicago and Illinois politicians from both parties see public office as a means for their own private gain.
That culture is real and systemic, and comes both from two places: leadership and institutions.
