Klaipėdos rajono gyventojų korupcijos suvokimo ir patirties kaita pandemijos sąlygomis

LTPasaulinė pandemija ir būtinybė imtis atsako veiksmų sukuria palankią terpę korupcijai, silpnina jos prevencijos priemones bei keičia visuomenės moralines nuostatas. Nacionaliniai tyrimai atskleidė prastėjančią korupcijos prevencijos situaciją, piliečių ketinimą imtis neteisėtų veiksmų sprendžiant savo problemas. Straipsnyje pristatomi tęstinio Klaipėdos rajono savivaldybėje atlikto tyrimo rezultatai, leidžiantys įvertinti gyventojų korupcijos suvokimo ir patirties kaitą pandemijos sąlygomis. Nors vis daugiau Klaipėdos rajono gyventojų suvokia korupcijos grėsmę ir žalą, ištirta, kad pateisinančiųjų korupciją, kaip galimą problemos sprendimo būdą, dalis vis dėlto padidėjo. Respondentų nuomone, korupcija labiausiai paplitusi: medicinos įstaigose, teisme, žemėtvarkoje. Tyrimo dalyviai nurodė šiek tiek dažniau davę kyšius įvairiems subjektams, dažniausia – medicinos įstaigų darbuotojams. Nors gyventojai mažiau pastebi užuominų ir kyšio prašymų, tačiau dažniau patys apsisprendžia duoti kyšį. Be to, daugiau respondentų nurodė ketinantys ir ateityje duoti kyšį prireikus spręsti problemas. PAGRINDINIAI ŽODŽIAI: korupcija, savivaldybės, korupcijos prevencija, gyventojų požiūris.

ENThe global pandemic requires urgent decisions by governments to purchase goods without complying with public procurement laws and even negotiating their price, and to fight for hard-to-access resources (medical devices and equipment, health system workers). Meanwhile, many mechanisms for preventing and enforcing corruption are suspended due to the state of emergency. Such situations create opportunities for new forms of corruption, and for corrupt individuals to use the situation by bribing and receiving bribes, concluding agreements at unreasonable prices, using an official position to receive medical assistance or vaccinations, demanding payment for public and already paid-for services, plundering support, etc. National statistical information sources have identified slight positive developments in the anti-corruption environment over long periods of time. However, in 2020, according to the data of the Lithuanian Corruption Map, citizens notice more corruption, and tend to take illegal corrupt actions to solve their problems themselves. Citizens often come into contact with local municipalities in their day-to-day affairs, so the legitimate and transparent activities of local authorities are directly linked to individuals’ corrupt practices and attitudes towards corruption. Thus, it makes sense to monitor the corrupt situation in a particular municipality. Therefore, this article presents continuous research into the perception and experience of corruption of residents carried out in the Klaipėda district authority. A repeat survey, which was carried out in the Klaipėda district authority in 2016, 2018 and 2020, allows us to assess the change in the perception and experience of corruption among the population. The aim of the research is to assess the attitudes of Klaipėda district residents to corruption, and the change in the experience of corruption in the context of the pandemic.The research was implemented using a pre-prepared standardised questionnaire. A total of 116 respondents participated in the survey in 2020. It was investigated that, in general, Klaipėda district residents take a negative view of the phenomenon of corruption. More than four-fifths of participants in the study agree that corruption distorts fair competition and business conditions, reduces economic growth, violates human rights, distorts social justice, and damages public morale. Comparing the results of the 2018 and 2020 surveys, it can be said that the dynamics of attitudes are positive: more and more residents of the Klaipėda district are aware of the threat and harm of corruption. However, there has also been an increase in the proportion of people justifying corruption as a possible solution to the problem. The survey has revealed that, in the opinion of the respondents, this negative phenomenon is as common in the Klaipėda district as in all of Lithuania. More than half of the respondents reported the following main reasons for the spread of corruption: lack of public activity, excessive bureaucracy, and societal habits. The participants in the study identified that all actors contribute at least in part to the spread of corruption in the area, and politicians have the most influence. According to the respondents, corruption is most common: in medical institutions, in courts, in land use. In 2020, the participants in the survey tended more to agree that corruption is prevalent in Klaipėda district institutions than in 2018: the list presented indicates a higher prevalence of corruption in eight institutions, and lower in three institutions. The opinion on the prevalence of corruption in court and in the press increased the most. This dynamic may be due to the fact that for part of 2020, many public administrative and public bodies worked and provided services to the population remotely.The remote provision of services for residents is associated with obstacles, disruption and bureaucracy, and possible corruption. The negative dynamics of attitudes towards the courts can be explained by the scandal about investigations of judges, and the publicity given to problems in the system of law and order at the beginning of 2020. Most participants reported giving bribes to medical staff. Commenting on these dynamics, it can be assumed that during the lockdown period, it was difficult to access health care institutions, and some services were not available at all. This situation may have encouraged individuals to offer/give bribes when meeting or in order to meet with a doctor. Participants in the study reported slightly more frequent bribes to various entities. As a basic form of bribe giving, respondents usually named money. In analysing the dynamics of bribegiving forms in 2018 to 2020, it was noticed that all forms of bribes increased from 1.33 to 2.26 times. The biggest increase was in offering other services as a bribe (2.26 times). Residents noticed less hints about a bribe request, less hear about it from others, but more often decide to give a bribe themselves. In 2020, more respondents indicated their intention to give a bribe in the future to solve problems. KEY WORDS: corruption, local governance, prevention of corruption, citizens’ attitudes.