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Revista de Cercetare si Interventie Sociala

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The “Culture of Corruption” in the Post-Communist Space. Economic Indicators, Transition Indices and Cultural Dimensions vs. the Perception of Corruption

The “Culture of Corruption” in the Post-Communist Space. Economic Indicators, Transition Indices and Cultural Dimensions vs. the Perception of Corruption

Autori:

Bogdan FICEAC

Cod: ISSN: 1583-3410 (print), ISSN: 1584-5397 (electronic)
Dimensiuni: pp. 215-239



How to cite this article:

Ficeac, B. (2013). The "Culture of Corruption" in the Post-Communist Space. Economic Indicators, Transition Indices and Cultural Dimensions vs. the Perception of Corruption.Revista de Cercetare si Interventie Sociala ,43, 215-239.



Abstract:

Corruption is a central topic of political and public debate, as well as of election campaigns in countries transitioning from totalitarianism to democracy. Corruption is viewed as a major obstacle hindering reform to such an extent as to jeopardise the legitimacy of the democratic system, to impair the implementation of market economy mechanisms, and to delay the progress of transition – or even to make it reversible. This paper aims to study the way economic prosperity and quality of life correlate with the level of corruption, the manner in which the stage and pace of democratic and economic reforms in the countries of the formerly Soviet-influenced space correlate with the corruption level perceived by the public, the role played by the elites in the success – or failure – of strategies implemented in order to fight this plague, as well as the possible connection between the cultural dimensions of the Hofstede model and the public perception of corruption. The conclusions point to the importance of cultural and intercultural research in increasing the effectiveness of anti-corruption strategies, to the crucial importance of management performance and of integrity among the elites for the success of reforms and implicitly for the fight against corrupt practices, as well as to the critical contribution the strengthening of democracy and of market economy have in fighting corruption and reducing the opportunity structures favorable for its occurrence in society.

Keywords:

corruption; democracy; market economy; cultural dimensions; postcommunist countries.


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