This book examines the relationship between corruption scandals and transitional processes in post-Milošević Serbia after 2000. The study challenges the view that corruption has always been understood as a conflict between private interests and the public good, as these concepts are defined in Western democracies, and explores how anti-corruption discourse has been used for political mobilisation. Through an examination of high-profile political scandals in Serbia, the author shows how the meaning of corruption changed over time. In the early 2000s, corruption focused on the legacy of Milošević’s rule and was identified through the public’s limited access to the privatisation process. By the end of the decade, conceptualisations of corruption in public debate were so diversified that each anti-corruption measure undertaken by the state was interpreted as an act of corruption by other voices in the discourse. The book will appeal to students and scholars interested in corruption studies, discourse analysis and Balkan politics.
"Zurnic's book on corruption scandals and institutional change in Serbia after Milosevic is a valuable contribution to the discussion about the entanglement of public discourse and institutional change. ... her book is therefore a must-read for scholars interested in that country's transition to democracy, and also in democratic processes more generally, and corruption discourses more specifically." (Kathrin Jurkat, Südosteuropa Journal of Politics and Society, Vol. 68 (2), 2020)
"The book will appeal to researchers and practitioners who are interested in the matters of corruption and democratic transformation on a broader level. ... the book provides a welcome addition to the academic discourse on corruption in Eastern Europe, the political and economic transformation of authoritarian states, and public perceptions of a transition that is ongoing, with no clear end in sight." (Nina Markovic Khaze, Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 72 (1), 2020)
"The book will appeal to researchers and practitioners who are interested in the matters of corruption and democratic transformation on a broader level. ... the book provides a welcome addition to the academic discourse on corruption in Eastern Europe, the political and economic transformation of authoritarian states, and public perceptions of a transition that is ongoing, with no clear end in sight." (Nina Markovic Khaze, Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 72 (1), 2020)