This workshop aims to discuss the complex relationships between corruption, administration, and governance in Central and Eastern Europe. We seek to examine how corruption impacts policy making, public administration, and governance in this region by analysing patterns of corrupt practices and the effectiveness of anti-corruption policies.
The workshop proposes three main objectives: 1) to analyse the determinants of citizens perception of corruption; 2) to explain how the political corruption forms evolved over time; 3) to identify and explain the connection between corruption, de-democratisation, populism and political instability in Central and Eastern Europe and the subsequent challenges for governance.
The relation between corruption, politics, administration and governance in Central and Eastern Europe is multi-faced and deeply rooted in social and political structures (Amini & Douarin 2020; Jastramskis 2021; Uslaner 2017). Previous studies focus on regional differences and the relation between social inequalities and perceived corruption (Ariely & Uslaner 2017; Blasius & Thiessen 2021), but the 'reality' of corruption versus perception has been a subject for debate (Takacs Haynes & Rašković 2021) and a challenge for future research (Gouvêa Maciel et all 2022; Knack 2007). Our workshop aims to examine the impact of corruption on policy-making, public administration, and governance in the region.
Corruption takes many forms and much literature has covered the cause of corruption and why anti-corruption measures have failed (Chadee 2021; Schmidt-Pfister & Moroff 2013). However, we do not know what the contemporary challenges are and how people see the phenomenon in the context of political instability, populism or de-democratisation. At the EU transnational level, new anti-corruption rules are established or negotiated, which member states and candidate states can implement. This workshop allows comparisons between the states and calls for research focusing on understanding of corruption in various contexts (administrative, organisational, political, economic, legal, etc.) (Engler 2020; Gouvêa Maciel et al. 2022; Petrova 2021). We aim to foster a comprehensive understanding of these dynamics and explore innovative strategies for improving governance and reducing corruption in Central and Eastern Europe.
Amini, C., Douarin, E. Corruption and Life Satisfaction in Transition: Is Corruption a Social Norm in Eastern Europe?. Soc Indic Res 151, 723–766 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-020-02389-6
Ariely, G., & Uslaner, E. M. (2017). Corruption, fairness, and inequality. International Political Science Review, 38(3), 349-362.
Blasius, J., & Thiessen, V. (2021). Perceived Corruption, Trust, and Interviewer Behavior in 26 European Countries. Sociological Methods & Research, 50(2), 740-777.
Chadee, D., Roxas, B. & Kouznetsov, A. Corruption, Bribery and Innovation in CEE: Where is the Link?. J Bus Ethics 174, 747–762 (2021).
Engler, S. (2020). “Fighting corruption” or “fighting the corrupt elite”? Politicizing corruption within and beyond the populist divide. Democratization, 27(4), 643–661.
Gouvêa Maciel, G., Magalhães, P. C., de Sousa, L., Pinto, I. R., & Clemente, F. (2022). A Scoping Review on Perception-Based Definitions and Measurements of Corruption. Public Integrity, 26(1), 114–131.
Jastramskis, M., Kuokštis, V., & Baltrukevičius, M. (2021). Retrospective voting in Central and Eastern Europe: Hyper-accountability, corruption or socio-economic inequality? Party Politics, 27(4), 667-679.
Knack S. Measuring Corruption: A Critique of Indicators in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Journal of Public Policy. 2007;27(3):255-291. doi:10.1017/S0143814X07000748
Petrova B. Redistribution and the Quality of Government: Evidence from Central and Eastern Europe. British Journal of Political Science. 2021;51(1):374-393.
Schmidt-Pfister, D., & Moroff, H. (2013). Fighting Corruption In Eastern Europe. Taylor and Francis.
Takacs Haynes, K., & Rašković, M. (2021). Living with corruption in Central and Eastern Europe: Social identity and the role of moral disengagement. Journal of Business Ethics, 174(4), 825-845.
Uslaner, E. M. (2017). The historical roots of corruption: Mass education, economic inequality, and state capacity. Cambridge University Press.
Williams, S., & Tillipman, J. (Eds.). (2024). Routledge Handbook of Public Procurement Corruption (1st ed.). Routledge.
1: What factors influence the citizens’ perception of corruption in Central and Eastern Europe countries?
2: How has political corruption evolved in Central and Eastern Europe during post-communism?
3: What is the relationship between corruption, de-democratization and populism in Central and Eastern Europe?
4: Why have anti-corruption strategies in Central and Eastern Europe failed to produce the expected outcomes?
5: How does corruption boost political instability in the region?
1: perception of corruption
2: patterns of corrupt practices
3: political corruption
4: corruption and administration
5: anti-corruption strategies and governance
6: social inequalities and corruption
7: corruption, de-democratization and populism
