Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.22598/pi-be/2026.1.39036
Institutional Trust and Sector-Specific Corruption in Greece
Aristidis Bitzenis
; University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece
*
Nikos Koutsoupias
orcid.org/0000-0003-1664-5404
; University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece
Marios Nosios
; University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece
* Dopisni autor.
Sažetak
Purpose: This study examines how sector-specific corruption affects institutional trust in Greece and conceptualizes corruption as a governance and process-integrity deficit that constrains organizational excellence in both public and private settings.
Design/Methodology: A mixed-methods approach based on analytical triangulation was used, combining a nationwide survey of 1 973 participants in Greece with a bibliometric analysis of 1 335 Scopus-indexed publications. This enabled a parallel assessment of citizen perceptions and dominant academic framings of corruption, governance, and accountability.
Findings: Clear sectoral asymmetries emerge. Public-sector corruption is primarily associated with procedural opacity and administrative discretion, while bribery for expedited processing is perceived as more frequent in certain private-sector settings. The bibliometric analysis identifies three dominant research clusters: governance and accountability frameworks, ethical paradigms in public administration, and socio-economic drivers of corrupt behavior. There is also growing scholarly attention to digital transparency and accountability mechanisms. Institutional trust in Greece cannot be restored through legal reforms alone.
Practical implications: Anti-corruption interventions should support organizational excellence through process redesign, stronger accountability structures, leadership commitment, and digitally enabled transparency in both public and private institutions.
Originality/Value: Sector-specific corruption is reframed as a barrier to process integrity, governance quality, and sustained organizational performance. Combining citizen-level perception data with bibliometric mapping bridges empirical institutional realities and academic knowledge production, extending the business excellence literature toward institutional trust as a strategic governance outcome.
Ključne riječi
corruption; institutional trust; public-sector corruption; private-sector corruption; bibliometric analysis
Hrčak ID:
346009
URI
Datum izdavanja:
2.4.2026.
Posjeta: 410 *