ABSTRACT
This chapter demonstrates the tension between legal/formal norms and citizens expectations regulating public offices, which shape the way in which the Portuguese deal with corruption. The social normality of the corrupt act is the least important dimension for explaining the restricted concept of corruption in public's mind. Social inequalities have been identified as a major factor explaining the prevalence of corruption in a society. Modernization processes are also referred to in the literature as a major explanatory factor for the prevalence of corruption in a society. Corruption has been viewed by various studies in the field as a phenomenon linked to particular civic cultures and the degree of social capital existent in those societies. All societies are permeable to corruption: some more, some less, depending on the quality of their organization. The Portuguese condemn corruption as a crime, but tolerate those occurrences tainted with contradictory or conflicting interpretations or those susceptible of raising widespread indifference, such as petty influence trafficking.
