Still more problematic is that almost all these guardianship arrangements are ripe for corruption. Validation and inspection are inherently discretionary activities. And discretion can be compromised. The incentives provided by the targets of trust enforcement to look the other way are often considerable, given the fact that guardians of trust often have the power to abort a profitable illicit scheme or to allow it to flourish by giving it a stamp of approval. (Indeed, some swindlers intentionally try to get inspected, licensed, or certified-they hope, by incompetent or corrupt guardians-since a passing grade confers significant market appeal.)

Shapiro, Susan P., The Social Control of Imper…, loc. 116