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Introduction
GlobalChallenges,LocalResolutions
Ifcontemporarysociologicaldiscoursesonriskanduncertaintyareorganized
byanystructuringprinciplerenderingordertotheotherwisenebularnatureof
thediscipline,itisthecriticalassumptionthatthetermsareindispensablein
ordertogetamoreinformedperspectiveonthecontemporary,latemodern
societies(seeBeck1992;Beck,Giddens,andLash1994;Giddens1990;
Bauman2007).Socialtheoriesofriskoftenpostulatethatthemultifaceted,
utterlyobscurenatureoflatemodernsocialsystemsandinstitutions—chief
amongwhichareGabstractsystems”—isrepresentedbyanincreaseinthe
numberofrisksandcontingenciesfacedbyindividualsandcollectivitiesin
thepracticeofeverydaylife.Inthisparticularway,dangershavebeensub-
sumedwithinanessentiallycriticalperspectiveonlatemodernitywhich
stressesthatGuncertaintyretainsandproliferateseverywhere”(Beck1994,
12).Theubiquityofrisk,toputitotherwise,hasbeenconceptualizedas
anegativeconsequenceofmodernizationprocesses,anindispensablecostof
assumingaprogressive,overlyandovertlyoptimisticperspectiveonthesup-
posedlyemancipatorynatureoftechnological,economicandinstitutionalde-
velopment.
TheproblemofcorruptionaffectingthefunctioningoftheCustoms
ServiceofPolandmaybeeasilysubsumedwithintheaforementionedlineof
interpretation.Thecharacter,intensityandtechnologicalsophisticationofcon-
temporarycustomsoperationsisdeterminedbythedynamicsoflatemodern
socialsystemswhoseglobalizingtendenciesarealsoreflectedbytheincrease
inglobalcrimeasmanifestedbytheacceleratedcirculationofillegalgoods
andillegitimateimmigrants,aswellaspotentialoractualmembersofterrorist
orcriminalorganizations.Giventhescaleofchallengesassociatedwithglo-
balization,itislittlewonderthatcustomsoperationsinPolandarenowadays
furrowedwithintensecorruption-relatedriskswhich,consideringthefactthat
