ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author focuses on corruption seen through the lens of her own experience. Corruption—bribery, favoritism, nepotism, and other types of corrupt behavior, including by those in power—has been the subject of her research. Generally speaking, the communist era was dominated by unsophisticated bribery. Major corruption scandals involving big businesses and big money were rare. In post-communist Poland, on the other hand, such scandals became commonplace. The move to capitalism obviously had its positive aspects, particularly the fact that the totalitarian system was done away with once and for all, but there were also some negative aspects. Corruption reached far and wide. Some doctors took bribes as well, and housing officers were the best-paid group of bribe recipients. Communism may be long gone in Poland, but corruption remains. It’s just that it has taken on a slightly different form, and its intensity has changed as well.
