Abstract
The aim of this paper is to analyse the phenomenon of corruption in several ways. It distinguishes corruption from bad administration; it defines its main economical and social-cultural causes: it explores its main consequences on society, especially in economy, democracy and health. The paper takes as an example two different kinds of public policies with the same purpose to eradicate corruption: Singapore, pursuing an authoritarian policy, and Finland, basing its approach against corruption on popular participation and the spread of legality and individual responsibility. The participatory approach demands growing administrative transparency, giving the right to citizens to access public documents. Italian legislation against corruption will be addressed against this background. The increasing involvement of citizenship is a sign of a strong determination to eliminate corruption from the political system. What’s important is the introduction of monitoring communities that mainly operate controlling the correct use and development of assets confiscated from criminal organisations (for example, within the project ”Confiscati Bene”). The growth of the means to defeat this phenomenon and the diffusion of a new civic sense, that is inspired by the rules and individual responsibility will be presented in conclusion as the most efficient way to combat the corruption system.