A Culture of Corruption?

"Any casual visitor to Central Europe knows how pervasive the perception (and probably the reality) of corruption is. This is, then, a very welcome addition to the literature. Its strength is the focus on ordinary citizens and how they cope with bureaucracy at their level - and on the larger issue of consolidating democracy. This is no expose of elite scandal but a close study of citizen encounters in Slovakia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic. An important chapter on ethnic minorities and officials is welcome. ... This volume will be most accessible to advanced social scientists. ... will benefit many as it shows variation between countries."—Choice

"Die meisten Studien zur Demokratisierung im postkommunistischen Europa konzentrieren sich auf Entwicklungen auf der nationalen politischen Ebene. Eine bedeutende Ausnahme ist A Culture of Corruption."—Osteuropa

"This excellent and thorough study, consisting of nine chapters, undertakes the ambitious task of getting emprirical data on what the authors call 'bureaucratic encounters' between citizens and state officers in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Ukraine... This long-awaited study is an outstanding contribution to political science ...certainly comparable to the classic 'Civic Culture' by Almond and Verba, and an indispensible source of research and inspiration in any political science library"—Political Studies

"...a valuable addition to the literature on corruption in general and on corruption in transitional eastern Europe, in particular ... an excellent survey of how civil society in eastern Europe copes with an endemic social and political condtion, corruption (in its conventional defintion of official self-dealing). Anyone interested in the eventual shape of east European society would do well to consider this volume."—Slavic Review