Corruption in the Greek Public Sector: An Empirical Research

Abstract

The phenomenon of corruption and the investigation of methods, institutions, and mechanisms for the control of public officials in carrying out their statutory duties and fight of cases of corruption in the relationship between state—citizen, through any socioeconomic and historical frame. It was and remains a key issue for analysis and discussion, especially in modern democratic societies. The aim of this research is initially through a short bibliographical review to present the definition of corruption, especially corruption in the public sector, the types of corruption, the causes which create this phenomenon and of course the consequences on society and the economy and also to analyze the main mechanisms for combating this phenomenon. On the issue of corruption, an empirical research was carried out. The survey was based on questionnaires in order to record the opinions and estimates of participants on issues such as the degree of corruption perception. After the statistical analysis and the findings presentation, some conclusions show that despite the legislation and measures that have been implemented, Greece is still at the top of the world rankings and is among the most corrupt countries. Also, the existing control mechanisms are not effective and there is a lack of ethics and rules mainly in public administration.