Managers’ Perception of Corruption in Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia

Abstract

The paper provides a comparative analysis of managersꞌ perception of corruption in three post-transition economies based on The World Bank Enterprise Survey data in the period 2002-2019. Results suggest that although the main forms of corruption seem to differ among the countries, there does not seem to be any systemic change within individual countries. While in Slovenia managers are most likely to notice grand corruption, petty corruption seems to be more widespread in Croatia and Serbia. Those who perceive corruption to be higher on the power ladder are also the ones more likely to consider it an obstacle for their business endeavours. The difference is the most significant in Croatia, suggesting that additional efforts to reduce corruption would be most readily welcomed by the business sector in that country. Limitations of the present study rely on the quality of the data source used. While there is no doubt that the survey has been carried out with the highest quality standards, the potential strategic answering of respondents can hardly be avoided when it comes to such an illusive phenomena as corruption. A possible remedy could be to supplement the results with a similar survey that would focus on questions specific to corruption practices of the analysed countries.