Abstract
This chapter will explore the role of morality in corruption, going down a route of examining corruption in the procurement process using a somewhat uncommonly applied axiological lens. It will establish the aspiring diction of the EU in terms of corruption as an expression of a moral high ground on how to intellectually deal with the phenomenon. Problems arise when rhetoric is translated to reality, illustrated by delineating the EU moral stance on corruption and looking how this relates to a case study of corruption in the procurement process. It is argued that universal moral laws do exist, however, they must be dealt with differently in the highly varied cultural context of the world—as long as one remembers, acknowledges and takes into consideration those laws.
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Notes
- 1.
The concept of ‘things’ is not restricted to physical things but meant to encompass basically everything, including but not limited to, feelings, desires, ideas, and so on—all considered ‘things’ that have intrinsic value.
- 2.
Pluralistic ignorance means that an individual rather than realizing that the other silent individuals are being silent for exactly the same reasons, the individual tends to conclude that these others think that the act is an acceptably moral one and are keeping silent for that reason (See Darley 2005).
- 3.
For more information on how some European countries managed to have a transition where corruption was prevented, and to design a government which minimized opportunities for corruption, see Mungiu-Pippidi (2015).
- 4.
For a deeper analysis of how consolidated democracies—employ less regulation, yet better control of corruption, see Mungiu-Pippidi et al. (2015).
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Stiernstedt, P., Button, M. (2018). A Case Study of an EU Procurement Process in an African Country. In: Kubbe, I., Engelbert, A. (eds) Corruption and Norms. Political Corruption and Governance. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66254-1_16
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