Against the ideal of democracy, an analysis of issues such as bribery, corruption, inefficiency and freedom of information is provided for Central and Eastern Europe. Reviewing relations between government officials and citizens, the likelihood and type of reform are discussed.

Based upon surveys and interviews with government officials and citizens, this book focuses on issues such as bribery, corruption, inefficiency and freedom of information in Ukraine, Bulgaria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The authors go beyond an analysis of public perceptions and behaviour and look at public attitudes towards proposals for reform. They reveal how the problem of citizens' interactions with officials varies in kind as well as in degree across the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.