City | 6:23 pm | March 19, 2012 | By Nick Defiesta

Connecticut among nation’s least corrupt, study says

Connecticut is low on corruption, high on tree-lined freeways like Route 37, pictured above.
Connecticut is low on corruption, high on tree-lined freeways like Route 37, pictured above. Photo by Creative Commons.

Connecticut is one of the least corrupt states in the nation, according to a study published on Monday by the D.C.-based Center for Public Integrity.

The nonprofit Center for Public Integrity rated states on a number of “Corruption Risk Indicators,” in 14 areas including campaign finance, access to information, internal auditing and lobbying disclosure. The Center combined these metrics with assessments of public officials to put together each state’s numerical score, which was then translated into a letter grade. Connecticut scored an 86, earning it a “B” grade. Only New Jersey, which earned a “B+”, came out ahead of the Nutmeg state.

The report cited the state’s transparency in government and campaign finance, and praised the state’s public financing of elections, adding that Connecticut is a place where “the average citizen can more easily believe that elected officials are voting in his or her, rather than special, interests.” The study did not give out any ‘A’ grades, but Washington, California and Nebraska all earned a “B-”.

Eight states — Michigan, North Dakota, South Carolina, Maine, Virginia, Wyoming, South Dakota and Georgia — received an “F”.

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