Street-Level Corruption in Russia: Basic Criminological Parameters

The authors analyze street-level corruption as a complex criminological phenomenon. They use the methods of statistical, comparative law and correlation analysis to examine the dynamics of street-level bribery, outline its conceptual borders and identify the key criminological parameters and characteristics of bribery. The presented corruption indicators (street-level corruption type, corruption-infestation index of state and local authorities, structure of bribery and transactional costs index) make it possible to widen the borders of criminological research of street-level bribery, introduce new categories and concepts into the research agenda, reject the traditional view of street-level corruption as a solely criminal law phenomenon and predict its dynamics in the short- and mid-term. The authors note that the new criminological trends include the gradual habitualization of corruption, the increase in the number of corruption crimes committed by the police, the growing share of crimes connected with bribery (legalization of criminal income, fraud, excess and abuse of authority). Besides, they draw attention to the fact that modern street-level corruption directly depends on the type of authority that state and municipal agencies have and on the effectiveness (difficulty) of resolving problems by the consumer of corruption services.