After more than two decades of research on post-communist transformations, a consensus has emerged that corruption is a major phenomenon associated with the evolution of the former “second world.” The purpose of this conference is to explore the analytical, conceptual and comparative dimensions of this phenomenon and to examine recent empirical findings and field work on corruption in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The organizers are particularly interested in questions such as: What is the heuristic potential, as well as the possible shortcomings, of currently available typologies of post-communist corruption? Is there anything historically distinct about post-communist corruption – or is it a manifestation of broader patterns observable across regions and types of political regimes? What are the most promising strategies for studying the interplay of local factors (such as the multifaceted legacies of socialism) and international developments (such as the emergence of globalized political, economic and institutional contexts) that shape corrupt practices in post-communism? How have such practices evolved over the last twenty years, and how do they vary across time and space? What important aspects of post-communist socio-political orders can be explained as a consequence of enduring and institutionally embedded forms of corrupt behaviour?