Scandals, Political

[Page 875]Political scandals are events in which political officials are caught engaging in acts condemned by the general public. While many political scandals involve illegal behavior, not all do. In many instances, the key to whether an event is considered a scandal is tied to the extent of public disapproval of the behavior in question. Scandals can be highly contextual and vary significantly in type, scope, and intensity. Behavior that results in a political scandal for one individual may not be so for another. Similarly, some scandals are short-lived, while others are far more enduring. Political scandals can affect who governs, how they govern, and the relationship between those who govern and the governed. The proliferation of technology and the ever-present surveillance of high-ranking public ...