New book explores the dynamics of business-politics relations in Lithuania

“I am convinced that the case of Lithuania can serve not only to better understand the phenomenon of corruption and its dynamics but also to address similar challenges in other countries. For example, Ukraine and Moldova are now taking the first major steps on the road to Euro-integration. The insights from Lithuania’s successes and failures in the fight against corruption, could serve as a valuable material both for them and for EU institutions,” says Lašas.

According to him, Lithuania can be seen as a modest success in its transition towards more transparent business-politics relationship practices.

Motivation for change

However, before discussing any specific policy recommendations, it is necessary to go one step back and ask a fundamental question: how do you ensure the motivation for change among politicians and businesspeople, who might have an interest in keeping the status quo?

Or, according to Lašas: “How do you make turkeys vote for Thanksgiving?”

In the case of Lithuania, this meta-motivation emerged from two types of external incentives/pressures: Russia (negative incentive) and the Euro Atlantic membership (positive incentive). The wariness of Russia pushed Lithuanian political elites to commit themselves to full integration into Western institutions. Once this strategic choice has been made, membership of NATO and especially EU, acted as the primary driver for internal change during the accession process and beyond.

“Since the majority of voters also consistently supported these political choices, there was a kind of societal consensus. Without it, I have hard time imaging subsequent success,” says Lašas, the author of a recent book on backstage democracy practices in Lithuania.

He believes that the issue of meta-motivation is relevant for all international organisations that seek to make change in highly corrupt countries. If one cannot construct an adequate meta-motivation for change, the policy related efforts are much more likely to fail.

“You need a foundation in order to build a house,” says KTU political scientist.

Digitisation of services adds to the transparency of the public sector

One of the key insights from the book is the significant reduction in the prevalence of corruption in Lithuania since the early 2000s, especially in everyday encounters faced by ordinary citizens. Lašas attributes this positive shift to factors such as the digitisation of various services, which has enhanced transparency and quality in public service delivery.

“Overall, the quality of public services has risen, reducing the need to bribe someone to get something done. Also, the arrival of Western European business in Lithuania brought different business practices, which prompted the changes in the employee mentality. Last but not least, a new generation came of age. Having travelled extensively around the world, they returned to Lithuania bringing back different educational experiences and different values,” says Lašas.