The document summarizes several journal articles that discuss the relationship between disaster relief provided by FEMA and public corruption at the local level. It finds that while natural disasters themselves do not cause corruption, the large sums of money provided by FEMA to affected state and local governments have indirectly influenced corruption in some areas. Specifically, administrators have taken advantage of relief funds by misappropriating money through bribery, directing contracts to favored firms, and diverting funds to unauthorized projects. However, the document also argues that corruption may have pre-existed in some areas and that FEMA could take steps like providing vouchers and increasing accountability and law enforcement to curb its influence on corruption during disaster recovery.