Determining the most effective method of combating corruption remains an important part of the anti-corruption discourse. Shifting the focus from repressive to preventive measures and vice versa can fundamentally change the direction and content of anti-corruption policy. The research aims to analyze entrepreneurs’ subjective perception of the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures (repressive and preventive) in the regional context. The scientific novelty of the work is due to a large sample of regional studies analyzed, which increases the objectivity of conclusions in the framework of assessing the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures. We carried out an aggregate analysis of the results of sociological surveys (2021–2022) among the entrepreneurial community in 12 Russia’s constitute entities, selected randomly from regions with different administrative-territorial structure (region, republic, territory and autonomous district) and economic development level (high, medium and low levels). We did not note any significant differences in the assessment of the effectiveness of preventive and repressive measures, which were mentioned by entrepreneurs in approximately equal frequency. The equal importance of methods aimed at preventing corruption, on the one hand, and combating its effects, on the other hand, can be traced across the entire sample of regions regardless of their administrative-territorial structure and economic status, which suggests the formation of a common view of the content of anti-corruption policy. The most popular are such “opposite” methods as toughening of punishment for corruption offenses and simplification of management processes. The latter indicates two important points for the anti-corruption policy of the authorities. First, business environment is quite strong in its demand to intensify the fight against corruption, which to a greater or lesser extent indicates dissatisfaction with the results of the relevant efforts of the authorities. Second, the special attention of business community to the simplification of management processes (in particular, transparency and de-bureaucratization) fully confirms the high efficiency of the course for the wide introduction of digital technologies in the practice of interaction between authorities and a citizen. The research results allow talking about the development of comprehensive anti-corruption mechanisms that would include the whole range of methods – both repressive and preventive
Keywords
entrepreneurship, corruption, anti-corruption, preventive methods, repressive methods