[noonespecial]

Accept that for any value of political power y, there will be some corruption x.

Solve for the minimum of x. Don't get fooled by local minimums.

[johnnybgoode]

What about y = 0?

[noonespecial]

Yeah. I had been thinking of that. There should probably be a third term Z that has some sort of inverse proportionality relationship to y that represents cartels/warlords/etc that fill the power vacuum of a very low y situation. This would also cause x to be very high. (eg: Somalia)

[johnnybgoode]

I don't think I would distinguish between z and y. In other words, a high z is the same as a high y, and of course either one causes a high x.

[noonespecial]

Or -y is what happens when you don't have any y and so its an absolute value of y modified by some vector function v as to which sections of public life y (or the absolute value thereof) extends into...

For some metaphor m that is extended beyond a limit l, it becomes increasingly r, ridiculous. :)

[johnnybgoode]

Well, let me put it this way: Warlords have political power.