N. G. Chevtaeva, A. S. Vatoropin, O. V. Gushchin, S. A. Vatoropin. Risks of “Social Legitimacy” of Corruption under Sanctions: Assessment of the Sentiments of the Regional Business Community

doi: 10.15507/2413-1407.128.032.202403.543-562

UDК 328.185

Abstract

Introduction. In the context of a large-scale sanctions regime, the intensification of anti-corruption work requires special attention among a number of adjustment measures related to structural changes in the economy and changes in supply logistics. Sanctions become a trigger for the emergence of new corrupt practices. The purpose of this article: using sociological analysis methods, to identify the “social legitimacy” (admissibility, acceptability) of corrupt behavior in the business community as a risk factor for the growth of corruption in unfavorable conditions of sanctions pressure.

Materials and Methods. The article is based on the results of a sociological study conducted by the authors using a questionnaire survey to assess the level of business corruption in 2021 pre-sanction and in 2022‒2023 sanction years for the Russian economy among the business community of the Sverdlovsk region (n = 500 annually). In order to compare regional trends with all-Russian ones, the results of sociological studies were used: “Business Barometer of Corruption in Russia” and “Consequences of the introduction of sanctions for Russian business.”

Results. Risks to the social legitimacy of corruption under sanctions have been identified: against the general background of a negative assessment of corruption by the business community, there has been an increase in the number of supporters of the position that corruption can help solve pressing business problems, as well as those who are neutral towards corrupt business practices; an increase in the desire of the business community to justify the use of corrupt behavior patterns with the usual “that’s the way it is in Russia” has been revealed. Another risk is the dissonance between values and behavior: “In general, corruption is bad, but in a crisis situation, in my daily practice, I can, even must, use corrupt schemes”.

Discussion and Conclusion. The life position of the business community, in which corruption is accepted as an inevitable norm of social interaction, turns out to be a barrier to anti-corruption work. The need to intensify sociological research to study the culture of everyday life in the Russian business community has been recorded. The results obtained can be used by government agencies, the chamber of commerce and industry; the union of small and medium-sized businesses, representatives of the business community to intensify anti-corruption work.

Keywords: corruption practices, social norms, tolerance to corruption, sanctions regime, minimizing corruption risks

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgements. The authors are grateful to the reviewers and editors of the Russian Journal of Regional Studies for valuable recommendations, comments and advice that helped improve the quality of the text.

For citation: Chevtaeva N.G., Vatoropin A.S., Gushchin O.V., Vatoropin S.A. Risks of “Social Legitimacy” of Corruption under Sanctions: Assessment of the Sentiments of the Regional Business Community. Russian Journal of Regional Studies. 2024;32(3):543–562. https://doi.org/10.15507/2413-1407.128.032.202403.543-562

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About the authors:

Natalia G. Chevtaeva, Dr.Sci. (Sociol.), Professor, Head of the Chair of Personnel Management and Sociology, Ural Institute of Management – Branch of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (66, 8 Marta St., Yekaterinburg 620144, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4223-3318, Researcher ID: ABD-5356-2020, Scopus ID: 57199859026, chevtaeva-ng@ranepa.ru

Alexander S. Vatoropin, Dr.Sci. (Sociol.), Associate Professor, Professor of the Chair of Personnel Management and Sociology, Ural Institute of Management – Branch of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (66, 8 Marta St., Yekaterinburg 620144, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7632-5165, Scopus ID: 6505693896, vatoropin-as@ranepa.ru

Oleg V. Gushchin, Cand.Sci. (Sociol.), Director, Ural Institute of Management – Branch of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (66, 8 Marta St., Yekaterinburg 620144, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-2950-8485, Researcher ID: LDQ-8942-2024, gushchin-ov@ranepa.ru

Sergey A. Vatoropin, Cand.Sci. (Sociol.), Associate Professor of the Chair of Personnel Management and Sociology, Ural Institute of Management – Branch of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (66, 8 Marta St., Yekaterinburg 620144, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6624-8104, vatoropin-sa@ranepa.ru

Contribution of the authors:

N. G. Chevtaeva – development and specification of the problem; interpretation of empirical material; comparative analysis of the results of all-Russian studies; drawing conclusions.

A. S. Vatoropin – organizing and conducting an empirical study among individual entrepreneurs in the Sverdlovsk region; a review of the problems of social legitimacy of corrupt behavior.

O. V. Gushchin – organizing and conducting empirical research among business entities in the Sverdlovsk region; critical analysis of the text.

S. A. Vatoropin – quantitative analysis of the survey results; revision of the text.

Availability of data and materials. The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the authors on reasonable request.

The authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

Submitted 06.03.2024; revised 22.04.2024; accepted 06.05.2024.