The analysis includes applied aspects of the corruption problem in activities of the authorities of the Russian Federation; it measures a degree of corruption threat in modern Russia; it spells out some meaningful mechanisms to counteract this dangerous for Russian society and state phenomenon.

The purpose of the article is to show the relationship between a theoretical and applied analysis in the study of the corruption phenomenon in public administration, and to determine effective measures for its overcoming.

The main task of the article is to demonstrate the possibilities of the sociological method applied in various studies of corruption, and to present the results that are of practical importance.  The article used data from the representative sociological researches conducted on the base of the Department of Civil Service and Personnel Policy in the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration in 2012–2013. Special attention is paid to the measures to combat corruption in public administration personnel area.

The conclusion is that a balanced and socio-technologically modern personnel policy, as well as the motivation of civil servants to anti-corruption behavior can give the best effect in the anti-corruption enforcement.