Dipl.-Volksw. Katja Popkova

Corruption is a multifaceted phenomenon, which has been the object of interdisciplinary research for several centuries. Philosophers as well as political and legal scientists have been studing this matter for a long time; however it still remains a rather young research field in economics. This is explained through the remarkable nature of this phenomenon: its appearance variety alone complicates the definition of the term; moreover, its empirical measurability is made difficult through the fact that corruption activities represent a shadow economy and can therefore hardly be recorded.

Economic research of this issue is so far to a large extent focused on the interrelation between corruption and economic growth, be it carried out by adverse effects for investment, or by decreased efficiency of public expenditures due to corrupt officials, or by misgovernance. Theoretical approaches vary from a concept of corruption as a brake on growth to a “grease the wheels” view, which considers corruption as an efficiency-increasing factor helping to compensate for over-regulated economies. 

• such an analysis is expected to provide a feasible and adequate policy advice for developing and former transitions countries but also for some EU member states;
  
  
• previous economic research conducted in this thematic field was mainly fragmentary.