Studying Corruption: Reflections on the Methodological, Practical, and Personal Challenges

There is a growing recognition among scholars that those engaged in qualitative research often face a number of serious methodological and personal challenges. Rather surprisingly, these difficulties receive relatively limited attention within the academic literature. Given the rising role of qualitative methodologies within social science research, the benefits of and the need for honest and practical discussions regarding what researchers should expect when entering fieldwork become increasingly obvious. This article draws on my fieldwork experiences of studying public corruption in the Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet state. I provide reflections on the methodological, practical, and personal challenges of conducting qualitative research on a sensitive issue within a social setting that is not structurally inclined to support projects of such nature. The discussion is primarily focused on the research difficulties that are bound to arise with any attempt to confirm previously suggested propositions within the post-Soviet social matrices. This article and the suggestions made here fall in line with a number of other recent works which have been motivated by the call to share insights and guidance about the challenges, “tricks of the trade,” and dangers of fieldwork in remarkable settings.