Granì (Mar 2019)
Specifics of the corruption and bribery interpretation in the scientific and social discourse of modern Ukraine
Abstract
The article defines specifics of the corruption and bribery interpretation in the modern scientific literature. The necessity of clear separation of these concepts is emphasized. It is noted that bribery is about taking advantages of official position aimed at personal gain. This concept is broader than «corruption» by scope. Corruption is interpreted as bribery in the field of public authority. For a long time, corruption was believed to be a disease of developing countries mainly and explained as a by-product of modernization. The situation began to change in the 80’s and 90’s of the XX century, when the studies related to the spread of this phenomenon in the developed countries of the world have been initiated. A quite large number of approaches to the corruption study are singled out in the scientific literature. The most common are the following: moralizing, normative, structural-functional, comparative, behavioural, networking, pluralistic, sociological, etc. It is believed that the sociological approach is the most promising, since it involves the analysis of the variety of normative systems and social factors contributing to corruption behaviour. Moreover, the sociological analysis of corruption allows for showing differentiation in estimates of this phenomenon by various subjects. These principles were implemented during the empirical study of the corruption and bribery perception on the near-front zones of Donbas. The article underscores the relation between an attitude to the law and willingness to participate in corruption practices. Just one third of the interviewed demonstrate a strive for acting only within the legal field. The relative majority of respondents speak about cases when the law can be ignored. It was proved that such mindset contributes to a loyal attitude toward corruption and bribery. As to social discourse, bribery and corruption in Ukraine remain tightly integrated into social medium. The population demonstrates an ambivalent attitude to them. On the one hand, bribery is a disease of social development which needs to be exterminated. On the other hand, it simplifies the problem solution and is believed to be a characteristic of the Ukrainian mentality. Such attitude of the population may hinder successful actions in the direction of significant reduction of this phenomenon manifestations in our society. The differences in the corruption interpretation by young people (18-34 years old) and mature people (35 - 50 years old) were discovered. It was emphasized that young people stand for a more severe punishment for participation in corruption practices (death penalty, life imprisonment). The mature respondents were more reserved in this issue and advocated the dismissal and imprisonment for a certain period. The youth was always a driver of social changes, so such a radical attitude to corruption and bribery suggests the possibility of the appearance of people with a new type of consciousness.
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