GENESIS OF RUSSIAN CORRUPTION:
HISTORIC BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS OF CORRUPTION CRIMINALS

Olga Kuznetsova
Associate Professor, (Ms.), RUDN University, RUSSIA, kuznetsova_ola@pfur.ru

Abstract

Corruption in the public sector, as well as private greed, is still a universal problem. Corruption in all its various manifestations over the centuries and cultures has shaped social relations and state structures. Corruption exists in any legal system, but the degree of corruption in a particular jurisdiction depends on specific features of the social and legal system of the country concerned. Many researchers suggest that the phenomenon of corruption cannot be studied without taking into account the country's social environment, its culture and traditions, and its history.

All these factors profoundly affect the mentality of people and make a significant contribution to the development of corruption patterns in human behaviour. Some studies show that collectivist societies and societies with an agrarian mentality are much more susceptible to corruption than societies with a nomadic mentality, where individualism prevails. Also, the results of some studies indicate that common law countries are less corrupt than civil law countries. In Russia, the fight against corruption dates back to the Middle Ages, but it still exists and is quite resilient.

In order to better understand how the corruption mentality developed in Russia and how to solve this problem, it is necessary to study the genesis of corruption in the country and the most important factors influencing its development. In this article, the authors aim to explore how the corruption mentality of the Russians has developed over the centuries, what historical and cultural factors influenced their current “legal nihilism”, and which historical periods in the development of the country to a greater extent contributed to the creation of patronizing networks that still look strong. The authors also make recommendations on scientific approaches to the study of behavioural patterns of corrupt officials based on international experience.

The objective of this study will be achieved by performing the following tasks:
- To study the evolution of social and moral traditions in Russian society that contributed to the development of a corrupt mentality;
- The study of international experience in the analysis of patterns of corrupt behaviour and the impact of social and legal systems of countries on their development;
- Apply the results of international studies to modern patterns of corrupt behaviour of Russian citizens and identify objective and subjective factors that influenced such behaviour;
- Develop recommendations for combating corruption in Russia by eliminating specific social and moral dilemmas.

The methodological basis of the study consists of such general scientific methods as dialectic and systemic research methods, analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, analogy, and others, and such specific scientific methods such as historical and legal research, comparative legal research, formal law, structural-functional and statistical methods. The study is based on the results of research conducted by Russian and foreign lawyers and sociologists, as well as economists and political scientists of the relevant research topic.
The results of the study can be used to determine the optimal objectives and tasks of combating corrupt behaviour in the Russian society, law enforcement and scientific activities, as well as for educational purposes, in particular for lectures and seminars on Russian criminal law and criminology and criminal law and criminology in foreign countries.

Keywords: criminal law, criminology, identity of corrupt criminal, behavioural patterns of corrupt criminal, social environment, traditions, morality, law.