BRIBERY IN CLASSICAL ATHENS Kellam ... - Historia Antigua

Conover Bribery in Classical Athens Conclusion
workings of politics. After all, in a society where gift exchange is limited, allowing more
frequent bribery may result in patterns of bribery different from those in the Athenian
case: more harm-inducing bribes, or bribes only in certain sectors, bribes that quickly
transform into extorted payments, etc.
Nevertheless, the kind of investigation undertaken here suggests that, even if we
take into account different cultural norms and definitions of ‘bribery’ and then legislate
accordingly, we might still miss the point that different societies use ‘law’ in different
ways. The figure of the dōrodokos lay at the very center of the Athenian imaginary, and
regulations of dōrodokia consequently loomed large in the Athenians’ efforts to reform
their democracy. This is arguably why eschewing the rule of law enabled the democracy
to be more responsive to (changes in) popular conceptions of justice and thus to be more
legitimate overall. Because bribery is always about injustice and illegitimacy, its
normative value stems from social, not legal, conceptions of how politics should work.
In the eyes of the Athenians, therefore, espousing the ‘rule of law’ to combat corruption
would make sense only if the outcomes of the law happen always to synch up with the
people’s understanding of political justice.
Like the Athenians, who used the dōrodokos to think through pressing issues and
ultimately to arrive at a more just polity, we end by looking forward on a positive note.
There are a number of ways in which the Athenians succeeded at democratization and
development even amid common bribery. Other thick accounts of cross-cultural or
historical comparison might yield similar results. It is hoped that the view from Athens
will open our eyes to a different understanding about the ideal role of bribery in a polity.
Far from minimizing bribery through precise legal restrictions and ‘proper’ institutional
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