Abstract

This thesis explores different manifestations of corruption structured around the notion of modernity. It claims that the modern definition is related to transgression. It also maps out a premodern alternative based on degeneration of character, as well as a psychoanalytical understanding related to stolen enjoyment. This thesis is a study of corruption as bribe taking in purchasing and procurement in the Swedish context. The empirical study is based on an explorative, hermeneutic approach and is conducted as a case study at the Swedish Road Administration—a public procurer of road construction and maintenance work. It holds that the modern understanding of corruption is problematic and that different theoretical alternatives can deepen one’s understanding of corruption