Theory and practice of fighting Corruption in Europe

The article analyses the state of research on corruption and anti-corruption focusing particularly on the variety of scholarly positions on corruption in current Western political science. The author gives an overview of various basic assumptions, theories and perceptions of the phenomenon of corruption and describes the latest developments in corruption research as well as anti-corruption practice. Anti-corruption activities do not only take place on the national level, but to a great extent are determined by a country's integration in international affairs. State as well as non-state actors take part in an international anticorruption regime which offers common rules and reference points for combating corruption. Yet the question is whether these internationally accepted rules are actually functioning, whether the existing information base is sufficient for the design of specific anti-corruption measures at the national level, and how one can actually evaluate their results.