A luta contra a corrupção: estado da arte e perspectivas de análise - Corruption and how to fight it: state of the art and analysis perspectives

Corruption as an object of study in the Social Sciences has recently shown a significant growth, contributing to diversify empirical objects as well as theoretical and methodological tools. A brief review of scientific production in the last decades indicates a renewal and expansion of research.3 The increase in production results, on the one hand, from the disclosure of major scandals involving cases of corruption, thus allowing media and public opinion attention to be drawn to the problem. On the other hand, it results from theoretical and methodological challenges that contribute to its understanding, since it is a phenomenon difficult to conceptualize and observe, even if we adopt different disciplinary lens. Despite the constant efforts of a growing group of researchers, there is no general consensus on any broad and shared definition of what corruption is. We could even agree on the Transparency International’s statement that corruption is “an abuse of entrusted power for private gain”, which has been adopted in the methodology for the elaboration of the Corruption Perception Index, aimed at an international comparison on its diffusion.4Nevertheless, as soon as we “unpack” different analytical notions of what can be considered as abuse, to entrust, power, private (versus public), and gain, we are forced to admit that both analytical intension and empirical extension of the concept of corruption may vary largely, depending on approaches and research objects.