TY - JOUR
T1 - From corruption to extortion
T2 - Conceptualization of post-communist corruption
AU - Sajó, András
PY - 2003/10
Y1 - 2003/10
N2 - Moral outrage and lack of comparison distorts the understanding of the nature and politically determined functions of governmental corruption in post-communist transition. As post-communist societies move towards open market systems and corruption is no longer limited to the public sector, politics is transformed into a potent tool for illegal transactions. The political structure itself creates corrupt practices that become a structural feature of transition societies. This article offers first a critical discussion of both moral theories of corruption and the thesis that posits a link between corruption and democracy deficit in post-communist countries. Subsequently, it sketches a neo-functionalist approach that puts corruption in a specific social context. With respect to East/Central Europe, corruption is presented as a betrayal of public trust that serves specific requirements of an emerging "extortionist state." These requirements relate to the expansion of extortion opportunities and their institutionalization into a semblance of a Tule of law system.
AB - Moral outrage and lack of comparison distorts the understanding of the nature and politically determined functions of governmental corruption in post-communist transition. As post-communist societies move towards open market systems and corruption is no longer limited to the public sector, politics is transformed into a potent tool for illegal transactions. The political structure itself creates corrupt practices that become a structural feature of transition societies. This article offers first a critical discussion of both moral theories of corruption and the thesis that posits a link between corruption and democracy deficit in post-communist countries. Subsequently, it sketches a neo-functionalist approach that puts corruption in a specific social context. With respect to East/Central Europe, corruption is presented as a betrayal of public trust that serves specific requirements of an emerging "extortionist state." These requirements relate to the expansion of extortion opportunities and their institutionalization into a semblance of a Tule of law system.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=1642460064&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1023/A:1025736621543
DO - 10.1023/A:1025736621543
M3 - Review Article
AN - SCOPUS:1642460064
SN - 0925-4994
VL - 40
SP - 171
EP - 194
JO - Crime, Law and Social Change
JF - Crime, Law and Social Change
IS - 2-3
ER -