When Socialism Meets Capitalism: Corrupt Practices and Post-Communist Transition. A Comparative Analysis

This study examines the conditions of transitional societies that favor the continuous creation and recreation of corrupt practices. By comparing the present contexts of Westernized Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic) and of the Balkanized Romania, I attempt to reveal that a framework for analyzing corruption in post-Communist societies requires the attention to the formal structures and informal secondary arrangements. The analysis focuses on two of the multiple determinants of corruption -- the immaturity of civil society, and the method of transferring public property (state assets) to private interests. Concerted actions are needed to curb the implications of corrupt practices. A theoretical model to assess future developments in the region is presented in the end of the study. Given the conflicting nature of literature in this area, the limited empirical data, and the relative youth of transition processes in East-Central Europe, the author\u27s effort should be seen as a first investigation, and by no means conclusive to the topic. Various sources of information were consulted in an attempt to present insights on the complex network existing between and among social phenomena. The next step will be to subject the main hypotheses of this study to further empirical (and theoretical) analysis, confirming or challenging these assumptions