CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2023
| Author | Macsut, Andrei Cosmin |
|---|---|
| Title | Patterns of Corruption - A Study of Sub-National Units in Romania |
| Summary | This work analyzes the changes undergone by Romanian corruption since accession to the European Union in 2007, focusing on qualitative changes and adaptation to anticorruption policies and efforts. The main thesis is that, in Romania, the partisan logic of corruption leads to county-level differences in how corrupt behavior is manifested and prosecuted. One other, descriptive thesis stems from the first, namely that corruption in Romania has become more politically organized over the period. The theses are explored using data on public procurement and convictions for corruption at the level of sub-national units (the 41 counties of Romania). Starting from a paradox of improvement in some corruption and transparency measurements but not in others, the work argues that anticorruption efforts in Romania have only focused on some forms of corruption, and presents evidence that factors such as political affiliation, incumbency, or electoral performance matter when it comes to who is prosecuted. Competing party networks form a multipolar and layered model of corruption, where clients receive access to public resources only in the administrative units where they have political connections and use denouncement to prosecutors as a tool to remove political rivals. Findings point to a more general model, where county bosses act as the principal of corruption whereas the government behaves more like an agent. In this context, elections change not just the incumbents but also their networks of clients. Incumbents who manage to stay in power for consecutive electoral cycles have more consolidated corruption networks, implying that frequent power turnover may be an effective tool in controlling corruption. |
| Supervisor | Enyedi, Zsolt; Corduneanu-Huci, Cristina; Jenne, Erin Kristin |
| Department | Political Science PhD |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2023/macsut_andrei.pdf |
Visit the CEU Library.
© 2007-2021, Central European University