Determinants of Giving and Taking Bribes in Eastern Europe: Norms, Personal Affluence, and Security of Corrupt Transactions

Please join the Weiser Diplomacy Center, the Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia, and the Center for Rusia, East European, and Eurasian Studies for a talk with Dr. Aram Simonyan, a visiting Fulbright Fellow. 

Short Abstract: 

Curbing corruption in Armenia was one of the main goals of the new Armenian government before the velvet revolution in 2018. According to Transparency International, Armenian Corruption Perception Index has increased by 7 points and the rank has improved by 28 positions in 2019 compared to 2018. What were the social and economic factors keeping the high level of corruption in the country? Recent empirical studies have predominantly looked at antecedents of corruption from a macro level. Based on the analysis of three datasets comprising of individual-level surveys taken over a three-year period in Armenia, the study argues that social norms, personal wealth, and the high reliability of corrupt transactions impact an individual’s decision to be involved in corruption.

Lunch will be served.

About the Speaker:

Aram Simonyan is Associate Professor of Economics at the International Scientific Educational Centre of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, where he has been working in the capacity of Associate Chair of Economics and Management Department. His main research focuses on anti-corruption strategies in European countries from a socio-economic perspective. Advanced in eight languages, he held visiting positions at multiple European Universities. Now he is getting his second PhD in Sociology at the University of Kiel.

Dr. Simonyan was a Weiser Professional Fellow at the Gerald Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan in 2018, and is a visiting Fulbright Scholar at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan in 2019-2020.

• Eastern Europe
• International Institute
• CREES
• Aram Simonyan
• WDC
• WCEE
• diplomacy impact