Corruption in Today’s Spain: What Happened during the Crisis of 2008?

Abstract

Spain has suffered a severe economic crisis, the consequences of which – precarious employment, low salaries and inequality – are still being felt, despite the fact that the nation’s economy has recently returned to the path of economic growth. At the same time, during these years of crisis, numerous corruption scandals have come under the media spotlight, affecting the highest state institutions. In this text I will develop, firstly, an analysis of the changes that have taken place, during the recent period of crisis and its repercussions (2008-2017), in the perception of corruption in Spain. As will be seen, the perception of corruption has increased considerably. The first question we should ask is why concern over corruption has risen so dramatically in Spain during the years of crisis. To begin with, it is assumed that the model of response to the economic crisis (austerity), combined with intense media coverage of corruption scandals affecting national, local and regional political leadership has generated this extraordinary increase. Secondly, it would be appropriate to analyse whether the typical effects of the growth in perception occur in Spain. In other words, whether a climate of expectation is being generated that encourages relativism and reinforces particularism in society, as well as increasing political disaffection and apathy. The initial hypothesis arising from this is that tolerance of corruption, disaffection and apathy have also steadily increased during the crisis. Something that, as we shall see, has occurred only in relation to disaffection.