Anti-corruption in Slovakia. The Role of Civil Society
Anti-corruption in Slovakia. The Role of Civil Society

Summary/Abstract: Practitioners and academics alike consider a strong civil society as key to combating corruption. However, there is only limited evidence of the effectiveness of civil society as an anti-corruption actor. Although having received more attention in recent years, the role of civil society in anti-corruption continues to be an under-researched topic, and it remains largely unclear what role civil society can and should play in the fight against corruption. The Slovak Republic experienced widespread corruption extending to every aspect of public life in the post-communist years of the 1990s. In the 1998 national elections, the Slovaks voted a new government into office which, in the early and mid 2000s, implemented far-reaching reforms leading to a substantial reduction in the levels of corruption. It was hoped that joining the EU in 2004 would result in an irrevocable shift away from the bad habits of the past. Yet, following EU accession and with a new government in power, the Slovak public has witnessed a slide backwards into the very habits of cronyism, clientelism and favouritism in recent years.

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