Corruption is usually understood as hampering political development, economic growth and democratic participation of citizens, but comparing the effects of corruption for different political regimes presents astonishingly complex findings. The ongoing persistence of corruption underlines that it is not only dysfunctional, but can be highly functional as well. This special issue brings together contributions from comparative politics, political science and economics which precisely focus on these (dys) functionalities of corruption in political regimes across various world regions. The question of methodological pluralism is especially important for studying corruption comparatively. While on an international level a trend towards an increased use of quantitative methods in political science as well as in economics can be observed, the special issue underlines the importance of having a pluralistic approach for grasping the complex and multi-layered effects of the phenomenon. Of similar importance is the adoption of a comparative perspective that includes different world regions in order to understand the different roles of corruption in developing, transforming and developed countries alike.

Dr. Tobias Debiel is Director of the Centre for Global Cooperation Research and of the Institute for Development and Peace (INEF). Since 2006, he is also Professor in International Relations and Development Policy, Institute of Political Science, University of Duisburg-Essen.

Dr. Andrea Gawrich is Professor for International Integration at the University of Giessen."

Europarat und OSZE werden in der offentlichen und wissenschaftlichen Debatte selten als Akteure der europaischen Integration wahrgenommen. Dabei stellen sie eine bedeutende Brucke zwischen dem EU-Europa und dem erweiterten Europa sowie den Regionen der europaischen Nachbarschaft dar.

Zwar gilt das Demokratisierungspotential von Europarat und OSZE im Vergleich zur EU-Beitrittskonditionalitat als gering, gleichzeitig mangelt es bislang jedoch an Analysen zu den Demokratisierungsbemuhungen von Europarat und OSZE. Dieses Buch unternimmt vor diesem Hintergrund eine umfassende Analyse der Demokratieforderung des Europarats in seinen 47 Mitgliedsstaaten und der OSZE in ihren 57 teilnehmenden Staaten zwischen 1990 und 2012."

Ein einfuhrendes Lehrbuch zu ausgewahlten Regierungssystemen Zentral- und Osteuropas. Funf Lander (Russland, Polen, Tschechien, Slowakei, Ungarn) werden unterschiedlichen Typen demokratischer Regierungssysteme zugeordnet, ihre zentralen politischen Strukturen und Institutionen werden analysiert und unter systematischen Gesichtspunkten verglichen."

Das Buch analysiert die Minderheiten und Minderheitenpolitik in Polen seit 1989. Im Fokus der Untersuchung stehen die Interessengruppen der litauischen, weissrussischen, ukrainischen und slowakischen Minderheiten sowie das Agieren minderheitenrelevanter politischer Institutionen."

"Leaders of hybrid regimes in pursuit of political domination and material gain instrumentalize both hidden forms of corruption and public anti-corruption policies. Corruption is pursued for different purposes including cooperation with strategic partners and exclusion of opponents. Presidents use anti-corruption policies to legitimize and institutionalize political domination. Corrupt practices and anti-corruption policies become two sides of the same coin and are exercised to maintain an uneven political playing field. This study combines empirical analysis and social constructivism for an investigation into the presidencies of Leonid Kuchma (19942005), Viktor Yushchenko (20052010), and Viktor Yanukovych (20102014). Explorative expert interviews, press surveys, content analysis of presidential speeches, as well as critical assessment of anti-corruption legislation are used for comparison and process tracing of the utilization of corruption under three Ukrainian presidents."