Determinants of Corruption Perception in a Transition Country: Case of Albania

In many aspects, Albania as a transition country has several weaknesses when compared to its neighbor countries. Even though the collapse of the communist regime was reached at almost the same time with other Balkan countries, Albania still remains outside the European Union and has to face an immature government and problematic progress in several areas. Corruption is one of the most problematic issues in Albania. This research paper is based on the data collected by IDRA Research & Consulting and in the course of empirical analysis. It studies the relation between corruption and the microeconomic factors, categorized as demographic and socio-economic factors. In other words, this study aims to examine why some individuals are more willing to accept corruption than other. Based on prominent previous studies in this field, which were discussed to a relatively limited degree, this paper aims to build an empirical model for Albania that helps to explain why some individuals are more tolerant with regard to corruption. As previous studies have shown, such factors as gender, the area of living, region, experience or wrong conception are expected to be listed among the indicators that determine perception of corruption. This study takes into account the findings of literature review when setting up the regression. The results argue that factors such as the area of living, political orientation, the level of trust in institutions, personal experience with corruption, and the right conception of corruption are important factors determining the level of corruption perception.