Corruption can be blamed on culture, but it's too easy to do that alone. It is also strongly connected to relative poverty, and not the least. A system that allows it.
I'm a norwegian living in Poland for many years. And of course, to norwegian standards Poland can be very corrupt, but it is still way way ahead of places like Russia, which gave me the impression that people are very careful what they say to powerful people, and money gets spent in very, very unproductive ways.. And that's just a brief image I got from a two week stay there.
Now.. What is funny is that we are paranoid about corruption in Norway, although it's probably extremely low, or near as low as it can get. Still there are checks on many government positions, barring people from sitting on both parts of a table, with several years of blocking etc. The press goes bananas for the smallest powerabuse by politicians.
Now.. In Poland, where corruption is actually a problem, they are having systems (I know it from an eduaction organization) that are so terrible, with very few checks and balances. Power people in this organization really have a lot of power, and all you learn from it is to kiss their boots or get the boot.
In my school, an art school. The same teachers we have are dealing out money in commissions AFTER school, so the students that lick their asses here have much better chances later. Their is a Principals award (paid by the school), a considerable sum, which the teacher can give out to 25 teachers every year. Nothing but a thank you for support in the schools internal politics.
No wonder corruption flowers in a system that is MADE to be easily corruptible. It is a system that corrupts even the best of people, because you are either inside it, will never get in, or in case of protest, you get kicked out.
The first thing that should happen in countries like Ukraine is to change the systems, most of all the law, but also all other organizations, so they are not so easily corruptible. Now, that probably won't happen, because too many people are living from the fact that Power=Money.
(I have to say the EU is good for the system in my school. They force them to get feedback from students, teacher ratings and other checks, and slowly changes the system to a more healthy one)
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