Corruption in Brazilian Public Administration: A Study on the Perception of Law Enforcement Agents

Abstract

Corruption is a complex phenomenon that confronts all types of organizations. It also takes place in the underground of the organizational life. However, due to the difficulty in obtaining data it is not as researched and studied as it should be in organizational studies. The goal of this paper is to analyze the corruption in Brazilian public administration based upon the perception of law enforcement agents. The paper is based on qualitative research which used primary and secondary data, however most part of the data was obtained in depth interviews with 12 Brazilian law enforcement agents. The results of the research point out seven main findings. The interviewees also highlighted that corruption can be seen in all areas of citizen's life, including in daily practices, so it is important to find new forms to combat Transparency, greater social participation, control and punishment were listed as the main elements to be explored in the fight against corruption. The main contribution of this article is to discuss the limitations of the rationality of law enforcement agents in relation to a complex phenomenon, as corruption in public administration, in a country with high corruption incidence, as Brazil.