influence peddling
This is when a public employee attempts to influence a governmental decision in favor of a third party in which the employee has an interest. Understood in typical legal terms, this might include such cases as policy decisions regulating a business in which the employee holds shares, developing a general plan affecting the value of land owned by the employee, or approving a federal grant to a local school district where his children attend school. This becomes an actual conflict of interest situatio whenever the employee stands a high chance of significant gain
However, beyond the economic motivations for influence peddling we might include such interests as religious beliefs or racial ideologies. For example, a public administrator whose religion strongly opposed contraception or abortion might use his insider influence to restrict funding for family planning services or subsidized abortion clinics. A public administrator affiliated with a white supremacy organization might use her influence to derail equal employment opportunity legislation