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ChapterOne:CorruptionRisks.TheoreticalandMethodologicalPremises...
companiedbyaplethoraofnegativesocio-politicalhabitsandeconomic
mechanismsthatweretransferredtothepracticeofeverydaylifefromthere-
alityofancienrégime.Whatismore,someofthosepathologicalpatternsof
behaviorweredangerouslyamplifiedintherealityoftheThirdRepublicof
Poland.(2003;trans.T.B.)
Inthishistoricalcontext,thepracticeofGappropriatingthestate”constitutes
apathologicalmechanismwhichisinheritedstraightfromthebygonetimesof
theso-calledGrealsocialism.”Themechanismpavedthewayforaconversion
ofpublicgoods(politicalauthority,institutionalprestige,orpowerexpressedas
acapacitytoinfluencethedistributionofsociallydesirableresources)into
strictlyprivateutilities(Friske2005,275;seealsoKamiński,Kamiński2004,
143).
Inthisparticularway,thephenomenonofcorruptionbecomesautomati-
callysubsumedwithinamoreencompassingsociologicalproblemwhichindi-
catesthedevelopmentofdiscrepanciesinnormativelyformulatedsocietal
expectationsconcerningparticularsocialpositionsthatindividualsoccupydur-
ingtheirlifetimes.Thisprocess,inturn,maygiverisetoanaxiological
conflicttakingplacebetweensocialrolesthatanindividualfulfillssimulta-
neouslyinthecontextofcorruptionprocessesaffectingthefunctioningofthe
CustomsService,theproblemisveryoftenreferredtoastheGconflictofinter-
ests”takingplacebetweenformalizedrequirementsofoccupationalrolesas
wellasemployees’personalambitionsandaspirationsresultingfromsocialpo-
sitionsoccupiedinsuchinformalsocialstructuresasfamiliesorpeergroups.
Needlesstosay,whenaconflictofinterestoccurs,corruptexchangesareauto-
maticallybecomingapathologicalpracticeofGtreatingpublicfunctionsas
akindofpersonalbenefice”(Kamiński,Kamiński2004,127).
Aslightlydifferentfacetofcorruptionisrevealedwhenoneassumes
abroaderperspectiveinwhichtheissueisinscribedintochangesaffectingthe
axio-normativeorder.Inthisparticularcontext,theproblemmaybeportrayed
asatypeofpathologyaffectingthestructuresof(late)modernsocietiesin
whichinstitutionalcomplexityandobscuritygohandinhandwiththeprocess
ofanongoingaxiologicalandnormativederegulationthatcomesinthewake
ofrapidsocialchanges.3AsPiotrSztompkacommentsonthedestructive,in-
herentlytraumatizingnatureofrapidsocialandeconomictransformations:
Thecareeroftheconceptoftraumaasappliedtosocietybeginswiththereal-
izationthatchangeitself,irrespectiveofthedomainittouches,thegroupitaf-
fects,andevenirrespectiveofitscontent,mayhaveadverseeffects,bring
shocksandwoundstothesocialandculturaltissue.Thefocusshiftsfromthe
3AsfarasthetypeofcorruptionaffectingtheCustomsServiceisconcerned,onemayad-
dresstheproblemintermsofGsociologicalunderpinningsofcorruption”(Mosiej2007).
