Israel is not only a very young state, it is also a very young democracy. Lately, it is confronted with one of the biggest public corruption investigations that have been uncovered since its foundation in 1948. Yet, corruption is nothing new in the country that is already used to its corrupt politicians and dishonest actions. The question that arises is ”Why does Israel not solve its corruption problems – despite its democratic, accountable institutions?” By using a fourfold-scheme “Remedies of Corruption” as analytical framework this article gives answers to this questions. Based on a mixed methods approach including reports, survey and experimental data, the article shows that a comprehensive norm and values based corruption control is an efficient instrument to curb corruption. It is based on the notion that values, social sanctions, and widely shared conceptions of right and wrong play a crucial role, alongside monitoring, laws and punishments, in guiding the uses of public power and resources. Above all, the findings show that the Israeli civil society plays the most significant role.
