CORRUPTION AS A THREAT TO ECONOMIC SECURITY: ETHICAL ASPECTS AND COUNTERMEASURES

Abstract. Corruption remains one of the most serious challenges to modern states, undermining economic stability, public administration efficiency, and investor confidence. This article examines corruption as a systemic threat to economic security, with particular attention to its ethical dimension. The study analyses the legal, organisational-managerial, and ethical-educational methods of combating corruption and emphasises that sustainable results can be achieved only through an integrated approach that combines strict legal regulation with the formation of anti-corruption consciousness in society.

Keywords: corruption, economic security, ethics, anti-corruption policy, transparency, conflict of interest, whistleblowing, digitalisation.

Corruption remains one of the most pressing problems in modern society, exerting a destructive influence on the economy, state institutions, and public trust. In the context of global competition and digital transformation, corrupt practices are acquiring new forms and scales, making them especially dangerous for national economic security. Particular relevance is attached to analysing corruption not only as an economic phenomenon but also as an ethical one, since the moral and ethical attitudes of society directly affect the level of corruption resilience. The aim of this article is to examine corruption as a threat to economic security with an emphasis on its ethical dimension and to analyse contemporary methods of combating it.

Economic security of the state is the condition of protecting the national economy from internal and external threats. Corruption undermines this protection in several ways. First, it leads to inefficient allocation of resources, when public contracts and budget funds are distributed not on the basis of competitive advantages but as a result of personal arrangements. Second, corruption reduces a country’s investment attractiveness, as foreign investors perceive a high level of corruption as an additional risk and factor of uncertainty. Third, corrupt schemes facilitate capital flight, tax evasion, and the growth of the shadow economy.

According to international rankings, countries with high levels of corruption demonstrate lower economic growth rates, smaller volumes of foreign direct investment, and poorer indicators of public governance quality. Thus, corruption acts not merely as an offence but as a systemic threat to economic security, requiring a comprehensive approach to its prevention.

Corruption has deep ethical roots. It arises not only from imperfections in legislation but also from the deformation of moral values in society. When bribery, abuse of office, and lobbying of personal interests are perceived as “normal,” the boundaries between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour become blurred. The ethical dimension of corruption manifests itself in conflicts of interest, when an official places personal gain above the public good.

An important factor is also “corruption culture” — a system of informal rules and expectations reproduced within organisations and state bodies. Under such conditions, even honest employees may come under pressure from their environment and are forced either to participate in corrupt schemes or to leave the system. Ethical analysis shows that the fight against corruption cannot be limited to legal and administrative measures alone; it requires a change in value orientations and the formation of anti-corruption consciousness.

Modern methods of combating corruption can be divided into three groups: legal, organisational-managerial, and ethical-educational.

Legal methods include improving anti-corruption legislation, tightening liability for corruption offences, developing the institution of confiscation of criminally obtained property, and international cooperation in combating money laundering.

Organisational-managerial methods involve the introduction of internal control and audit systems, digitalisation of public services (e-government), reduction of excessive administrative procedures, and the creation of independent anti-corruption bodies. The principles of transparency and accountability of officials are of particular importance.

Ethical-educational methods aim to foster public intolerance of corruption. These include anti-corruption education, ethical codes for civil servants, programmes to improve ethical competence, as well as the activities of the media and civil society. An important tool is also whistleblowing — the institution protecting persons who report corruption offences.

The effectiveness of anti-corruption efforts is achieved only through the integrated application of all three groups of methods. Legal and organisational measures create external constraints, while ethical-educational measures form internal moral barriers.

Corruption poses a serious threat to the economic security of the state by undermining the stability of the financial system, reducing the efficiency of public administration, and deterring investment. However, the fight against this phenomenon cannot be successful without taking into account its ethical nature. Only a combination of strict legal norms, effective management mechanisms, and targeted work on forming anti-corruption consciousness can ensure a real reduction in the level of corruption and strengthen the economic security of the country.