ABSTRACT
Gifts have been given and received in all eras and all societies: they form part of a universal human exchange. The transformation into bribes of what were once seen as gifts, hospitality, or common work routines thus creates everyday dilemmas faced by various professionals, staff working in schools and in the care sector, and the like. Narratives of sensitive gifts or bribery are occasions for the articulation of emotions. They give voice to feelings of gratefulness, indignation, guilt, shame, humiliation, and frustration, but also in some cases of understanding—even sympathy—for the other's difficult situation. While there is a contemporary tendency to stricter moral boundaries through anticorruption efforts, there is also a frustration of the ambiguity among those encouraging regulations, and consequently efforts to peel away the ambiguity that surrounds gift giving. The legal assessment of what constitutes a bribe was thus commented on by a representative for the Anti-Corruption Unit in an op-ed stating that "Today's legislation is a lottery".
