Perceptions of corruption in Bulgaria : a content analysis of documents from politics, judiciary, police, media, civil society and economy

Abstract

Corruption, as a clearly defined social problem, appeared in Bulgaria towards the end of the 1990s. Similarly to Western democracies, the problem of corruption in Bulgaria was first studied and brought to the social agenda by non-governmental actors. Broad corruption awareness campaigns, studies on corruption, and many other initiatives got underway at that time, with the support of the international donor community. Gradually, the anti-corruption agenda pervaded political parties and governmental programs while some of its main principles were converted into legislation. In spite of all these achievements, corruption and organised crime were identified by the European Commission as two of the most serious problems in Bulgaria at the time of the accession of the country to EU in 2007. Further systemic reforms, as well as practical results in the fight against corruption and organised crime, were required by Bulgaria from the EU Commission in order to avoid the imposition of safeguard clauses and other sanctions.In spite of all this interest in corruption, not much has been done to study the phenomenon in its socio-cultural aspects. The present paper is the first stage of an attempt to study existing ideas and perceptions about corruption as imbedded in the everyday life practices of the social actors.