Corruption is one of the most pervasive phenomena affecting public administrations across the globe. With increasing prerogatives being transferred from the central government to the local and regional authorities, it is of paramount importance to understand the mechanisms that favour corruption at the subnational level. In doing so, we can subsequently engage with the best measures to prevent it and promote public ethics.
This study identifies the main current vulnerabilities of local and regional authorities (LRAs) in Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries regarding public procurement and public services, and provides a systematic assessment of priority avenues of intervention.
Research methods employed here involved an original expert survey designed to systematically evaluate the main forms of corruption occurring at the subnational level in EaP countries. Targeting relevant experts from the public sector, academia and CSOs, we aimed to disentangle the prevalence of specific forms of corruption in each country, as well as the most suitable means to counter it. The original expert survey data was triangulated with existent studies and reports, as well as other primary data sources (e.g. institutional webpages).