The ‘Fight Against Corruption’ as a Never-Ending and Self-Legitimizing Process

• Authors: Bartosz Czepil

Title variants

PL

„Walka z korupcją” jako niekończący i autolegitymizujący się proces

• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The article is an analysis of various unintended consequences of the contemporary fight against corruption. The author employs a social constructionist approach to argue that recent anti-corruption developments show that the ‘fight against corruption’ will never stop regardless of how effective it may be. Moreover, the anti-corruption crusade can be characterized as a self-legitimizing process because it creates new areas for anti-corruption actions by constructing new forms of corruption, thereby justifying the continuation of anti-corruption efforts. As a point of departure, the author analyses corruption as a socially constructed phenomenon in order to remind us that because of its inherent features, corruption is an irremovable part of the public sphere, thus making anti-corruption actions never-ending. Then certain paradoxes and developments in contemporary anti-corruption efforts are presented to further explain the never-ending and self-legitimizing nature of fighting corruption. The penultimate part highlights various new definitions of corruption proposed by social scientists and the questions raised by these conceptual undertakings. In the concluding section, the problems resulting from anti-corruption dynamics are presented.

Artykuł jest analizą niektórych niezamierzonych rezultatów współczesnej „walki z korupcją”. Autor wykorzystuje podejście społecznego konstruktywizmu, aby pokazać dlaczego współczesne tendencje antykorupcyjne, niezależnie od efektywność walki z korupcją, pozwalają uznać, że ta walka nigdy się nie skończy. Ponadto, krucjata przeciwko korupcji została scharakteryzowana jako autolegitymizujący się proces, ponieważ poprzez konstruowanie nowych form korupcji prowadzi do kreowania nowych obszarów działań antykorupcyjnych, w ten sposób uzasadniając konieczność jej kontynuowania. Punktem wyjścia jest analiza korupcji jako zjawiska konstruowanego społecznie mająca na celu wskazanie, że ze względu na konstytutywne właściwości korupcji jest ona nieusuwalną częścią przestrzeni publicznej, dlatego też działania antykorupcyjne nigdy się nie kończą. Następnie, aby dogłębniej wyjaśnić niekończącą się oraz autolegitymizującą specyfikę walki z korupcją, opisane są paradoksy i wybrane przykłady z obszaru współczesnych działań antykorupcyjnych. Ostatnia część artykułu koncentruje się na nowych definicjach korupcji proponowanych przez przedstawicieli nauk społecznych i prowadzi do postawienia pytań, do jakich skłaniają te konceptualne propozycje. W ramach konkluzji przedstawiono problemy wynikające z opisanej dynamiki antykorupcyjnej, z którymi należy się zmierzyć.

Keywords

EN

corruption; anti-corruption; social constructionism; self-legitimacy

PL

korupcja; antykorupcja; społeczny konstruktywizm; autolegitymizacja

• Publisher: Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Polish Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Studia Socjologiczne
• Year: 2016
• Issue: 4(223)
• Pages: 201-228

Contributors

author

Bartosz Czepil

• Instytut Politologii Uniwersytetu Opolskiego, ul. Katowicka 89, 45-061 Opole

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