The impact of Christian doctrinal teachings on reducing the level of bribery

Pysmennyi, Vitalii

Ternopil Ivan Puluj National Technical University, Ruska St., 56, Ternopil, 46001, Ukraine

Pysmennyi, V. (2026) The impact of Christian doctrinal teachings on reducing the level of bribery. Socio-Economic Problems and the State (electronic journal), Vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 3-14. URL: http://sepd.tntu.edu.ua/images/stories/pdf/2026/26pvvlob.pdf

Scientific Journal "Socio-Economic Problems and the State"

1(34)

May-2026

Jan-2026

17-Jun-2026

Ternopil Ivan Puluj National Technical University

UA

Ternopil

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7852-3627

https://doi.org/10.33108/sepd2026.01.003

27-1:17.022:343.352

Z12
K42
D73

sociocultural values
religious and moral doctrines
biblical teaching
bribery
undue advantage

12

3-14

3

14

The article examines bribery as a persistent social deviation that over many years has become deeply embedded in the economic, social, and political practices of Ukrainian society. It is demonstrated that, despite the formally declared negative attitude toward corruption, the provision of undue advantage is widely perceived as a mechanism of everyday adaptation – a means of circumventing bureaucratic procedures, resolving personal problems, and avoiding responsibility. Within this configuration, bribery functions not as an isolated offense but as a systematically reproduced practice that reshapes sociocultural norms and undermines fundamental notions of justice and accountability. Particular attention is devoted to the role of the Church as an institution involved in the formation and reproduction of value orientations. It is substantiated that the spread of bribery is accompanied by processes of moral erosion, a decline in individual responsibility, and the alienation of citizens from social and state-building processes. In this context, the moral and ethical foundations of Christian values are analyzed through the lens of biblical teaching, which makes it possible to interpret undue advantage not merely as a legal violation but as a form of value-based deviation within a society characterized by a dominant Christian self-identification. The study shows that under conditions of low institutional trust in public authorities, the Church retains a relatively high level of social legitimacy and a significant potential to influence the moral orientations of the population. The article argues that effective counteraction to bribery requires not only legal and administrative instruments but also the systematic engagement of religious discourse as an internal ethical resource of society. This approach opens up opportunities to rethink anti-corruption policy through the prism of value transformation and the alignment of declared moral norms with everyday social practices.

The authors received no direct funding for this research.

http://elartu.tntu.edu.ua/handle/lib/52464

2223-3822

Scientific Journal "Socio-Economic Problems and the State"

http://sepd.tntu.edu.ua/images/stories/pdf/2026/26pvvlob.pdf
https://razumkov.org.ua/images/2025/01/27/2024-Religiya-religion-ENGL.pdf
https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2341-14
https://supreme.court.gov.ua/supreme/pokazniki-diyalnosti/sud_statistika
https://ti-ukraine.org/research/indeks-spryjnyattya-koruptsiyi-2024

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Article

Scientific Journal "Socio-Economic Problems and the State", Vol.34, No.1