Corruption Perceptions In Russia: Economic Or Social Issue?

The efficiency of social reforms in different countries mostly depends on the extent to which they can be accepted by the population. However, even if problems are similar, the reasons may differ, which can make it difficult to apply existing laws of one state to another. Bribery is a typical problem for developing countries as shown in the Corruption Perception Index (calculated by Transparency International) and recent research (Levin and Satarov, 2000) (Ilzetzki, 2011). Corruption can have roots in socialist regimes as in recently established political stability instable economic situation may lead to growth in crime. The main challenge within the scope of this project is to identify the relation between corruption perception and levels of trust in society and to distinguish the differences in factors affecting these characteristics. The research reveals that distrust matters a lot for the problem in Russia and suggests further examination of the dynamics of trust between post Soviet countries and European countries.