‘Above the Law, Below Ethics': Some Findings on Portuguese Attitudes Towards Corruption 1

Portugal is an example of unfinished modernization. ‘The difficult road to sustainable democracy’, as Magone (1997) put it, is characterized by the coexistence of straight, pristine highways and tortuous, curvy roads, of modern and traditional societal features. Portugal is a land of social contrasts and latent tensions, wrapped in a soft package of hospitality and an imaginary sense of mildness (brandos costumes) which tries to temper any resolute feeling of unrest. The current context of austerity is demystifying this soft facade and reviving memories of the violent social conflicts that took place in the early twentieth century.