Anti-corruption in Slovakia The Role of Civil Society

Practitioners and academics alike consider a strong civil society as key to combating corruption. However, there is only limited evidence of the effectiveness of civil society as an anti-corruption actor. Although having received more attention in recent years, the role of civil society in anti-corruption continues to be an under-researched topic, and it remains largely unclear what role civil society can and should play in the fight against corruption. The Slovak Republic experienced widespread corruption extending to every aspect of public life in the post-communist years of the 1990s. In the 1998 national elections, the Slovaks voted a new government into office which, in the early and mid 2000s, implemented far-reaching reforms leading to a substantial reduction in the levels of corruption. It was hoped that joining the EU in 2004 would result in an irrevocable shift away from the bad habits of the past. Yet, following EU accession and with a new government in power, the Slovak public has witnessed a slide backwards into the very habits of cronyism, clientelism and favouritism in recent years. Slovakia's civil society has played an important role in the fight against corruption. Anti-corruption NGOs have raised awareness for the negative effects of corruption, advocated for important legislative changes and, together with the Slovak media, have taken on the role of a watchdog by controlling and monitoring the government's activities. An assessment of the current capability of the third sector shows that despite increasingly unfavourable political and legal conditions, Slovakia's civil society remains among the most vibrant and dynamic in Central and Eastern Europe. Anti-corruption NGOs seem to be well-equipped to continue playing an important role in tackling corruption. However, facing a declining public interest in advocacy campaigns in general and NGO anti-corruption work in particular, civil society organisations and donors need to rethink their strategies. NGOs should consider moving away from broad anti-corruption campaigns to more targeted approaches in specific areas by involving those actors who are directly affected by corrupt practices. Now that the negative effects of corruption have been widely recognized, there is a strong likelihood that those groups who suffer from a certain type of corruption show interest in investing in anti-corruption and join civil society-led networks. Donors need to widen the focus of their support programs where necessary. Many potential anti-corruption players such as trade unions, business associations or lawyers have received little attention, and private sector involvement has been largely absent in anti-corruption activities in the past. While administrative corruption could be reduced substantially in the past years, widespread political corruption still poses a major problem, exemplified by the many high-level corruption scandals. Slovakia's civil society actors have been very innovative in tackling political corruption and should continue their activities in the field of collecting information, monitoring the government and disclosing corruption scandals. Donors should consider increasing the financial support for watchdog NGOs since many face severe difficulties in funding their activities.