Sex instead of money: Conceptualizing sexual corruption

Abstract

Research on the dynamics of corruption has rarelyconsidered sex as a currency in corrupt transactions.This article puts forward the argument that the abuseof entrusted power in exchange for personal gain is rele-vant also when sex, rather than money, is the currency.It then contributes with a careful conceptualization ofsuch transactions as sexual corruption. Anchoring ourconceptualization in the abuse of entrusted power, thearticle defines sexual corruption, its elements, cate-gories and delimitations, and proposes a conceptualframework that can be used to develop research onsexual corruption. We also address the implications ofrecognizing sex as a currency in corrupt transactions,providing insights as to why abuse of power is oftenoverlooked when sex is the currency of the transaction.Our approach offers analytic precision and contributesto setting an agenda for the study of sexual corruption asan obstacle to good governance, at a time when efforts tocollect data on sexual corruption are increasing.