Fighting corruption in post-communist states: lessons from practice

Corruption is generally viewed as a scourge of post-communist economies and polities. A vast literature has not surprisingly appeared on the causes and nature of corruption in the countries of Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Much of this literature has focused on the economics of corruption, but the anti-corruption dimension of reforms of public administration bodies, as well as that of parliaments and ombudsman institutions, has received relatively little attention. This study fills this gap. It analyses and compares the anti-corruption measures actually adopted in a number of post-communist states, including Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Georgia. In contrasting the different anti-corruption measures taken in these countries, the study suggests some important directions for future policy initiatives. It also makes some recommendations about preferred anti-corruption approaches, depending on the specific circumstances in a given country.