Political Corruption in Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract

In 1999, the World Bank published a comparative analysis of corruption in all the major regions of the world for the period 1996–99 (see Kaufmann et al., 1999a,b). According to that, and contrary to many people’s expectations, the worst region on earth for corruption was perceived to be neither Africa, nor South or East Asia, nor Latin America, but the Commonwealth of Independent States. Not quite as bad, but still among the more corrupt parts of the world, was what used to be known as Eastern Europe. This chapter will explore both regions — hereafter referred to as Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).