State capture is the practice of illegally exploiting governmental powers and the economies of democratic countries for the benefit of a few private individuals. Business state capture pressure is one symptom of such state capture. From public officials to academics and research journalists in the fuels, pharmaceuticals and construction sectors in Bulgaria, Spain, Italy and Romania, some 50% of the experts surveyed by SceMaps have highlighted this pressure. The results indicate potential systemic problems within the three sectors in the four different countries, according to the State Capture Assessment Diagnostics (SCAD) tool, which SceMaps has rolled out in these four countries.
Responses from half the experts surveyed by SceMaps point to the presence of business capture pressure – one symptom of state capture – within the sectors analysed.