Understanding Of Corruption Research Articles

Corruption in the Eye of the Beholder: Survey Evidence from Mainland China and Hong Kong

ABSTRACTThis article explores how and to what extent people differ in their level of tolerance for corruption and why some people show a stronger propensity to counter corruption actively, while others seem more willing to accept it. We draw on the original data collected from a survey on perceptions of corruption among university students in Hong Kong and Mainland China to answer these questions. The respondents’ perceptions of corruption are measured by how they identify corruption, understand its causes, and interpret the consequences it may bring to society. Our empirical findings show substantial differences in perceptions of corruption across and within the two regions and also reveal a strong association between the way people perceive corruption and their level of tolerance for corruption and propensity to act against it. We see that, other things being equal, different perceptions of corruption lead to different tolerance levels for corruption and influence people's willingness to take part in the fight against corruption. Our findings also suggest that it is important to address the deficit in people's understanding of corruption in order to achieve desired anti-corruption effects.

Korruptionen i det svenska folkstyret: vad säger medborgarna?

Prior research on corruption highlights the importance of considering ordinary citizens’ views of corruption in politics and public administration. A key reason for this is that these views appear to have a significant impact on people’s confidence in public institutions. Moreover, to get a better understanding of corruption in “least corrupt” democracies with functioning market economy, it is important not only to include bribery, but also other types of corruption. In this article we use country representative data from Survey 2012 of such a case, Sweden, to better understand the variation of corruption across levels of government and how respondents’ own experiences of corruption relate to their perceptions of corruption. Cross-country studies portray Sweden as one of the least corrupt. However, Swedes tend to see corruption as present in public administration and in the recent past Sweden has experienced several corruption scandals. Our results show, in line with previous studies, that corruption is perceived as more common in subnational government than state government. In addition, when asked about their own experience of corruption (or the experience of someone they know) we show this to vary depending on what type of corruption situation it concerns: More respondents have experience of nepotism than bribery. Another major finding of the present article concerns the relationship between respondents’ experience of corruption and their perception of how much corruption there is in government. In particular, perceptions of extensive corruption are more likely among those with own experience of corruption. Given the potential impact of corruption views on support for the democratic system, this link between citizens’ experience of corruption and perception of its prevalence merits further research.

Corruption in the health sector; ethical response

Background: This paper explores the various challenges that the health sector faces as corruption creeps into the sector. Objective: The research explains various review methods used to identify corruption and delineates anticorruption strategies appropriate to the health sector. Conclusion: The article concludes with suggestions for applied research needed to extend our understanding of corruption, and to help policymakers craft effective interventions. Given the fact that corruption is a chain reaction that traps millions in poverty and misery we have the social responsibility to take a stand on ethical practice. Further, the paper is a call to revise the Hippocratic Oath so as to include a clause against corruption in medical practice so that the saved individual, thanks to the treatment received, might not, along with the family, and be dragged into poverty which is just as life-threatening.

Identifying corruption risks in the defense and security sector: Empirical evidence using the Government Defense Anti-Corruption Index

This article contributes to the debate on conceptualizing corruption by suggesting that sector-specific typologies of corruption risks are useful heuristics that encourage understanding of corruption without attempting to define it in a way that is inherently contestable or inappropriately succinct. To develop this position, this article reflects on the difficulties in trying to define corruption in both general terms and within the context of the defense and security sector. It then details a corruption risk typology in use in the sector, explains how it was used to provide the theoretical backdrop for a global index, and then submits the typology’s five main risk areas to empirical testing using that same index’s results. The models that result show that this typology’s risk areas display sufficient internal coherence for its key risk areas to be of use not only to practitioners, but also to the sector analyst and academic attentive to conceptual concerns. [JEL codes: D74, H56]

Religion and attitudes towards corruption in India: a collective action problem?

This paper argues that religion influences the ways that people think and speak about corruption, typically leading to condemnation. However, it is also argued that, in a systemically corrupt country, such condemnation is unlikely to influence actual corrupt behaviour. Based on fieldwork in India, the paper finds that existing anti-corruption policies based on a principal-agent understanding of corruption, even if they incorporate religious organisations and leaders, are unlikely to work, partly because people consider “religion” to be a discredited entity. Instead, the paper argues that if corruption were to be seen as a collective action problem, anti-corruption practice would need significant rethinking. Despite its current lack of influence, revised policies and practices may see a role for religion.

Corruption correlates: the case of Cyprus

Purpose – This paper aims to verify the perceptions of Cypriot society in relation to corruption. In an attempt to do so, 1,521 Cypriots participated between the months of September 2011 and October 2011 in the survey on the level of corruption in Cyprus. The survey was conducted by the organization “Transparency Cyprus”. Participants were 52 per cent female and 48 per cent male, age groups covered by 18 years until retirement, of whom 51 per cent work in the private sector, 16 per cent in the public sector, 24 per cent do not work, while 9 per cent work in semi-governmental organizations. Finally, 34 per cent are high school graduates, 37 per cent had higher education and 29 per cent hold a postgraduate university degree. The survey results show that corruption in Cyprus is considered by the vast majority of participants (86 per cent) as a serious problem and will also increase due to the economic crisis (79 per cent). The majority (93 per cent) of respondents believes that corruption and/or abuse of power for personal benefit exists and is widespread in most national politicians, in government officials in awarding public tenders (92 per cent) and in the police (90 per cent). Design/methodology/approach – In an attempt to verify the perceptions of Cypriot society in relation to corruption, 1,521 Cypriots participated between the months of September 2011 and October 2011 in the survey on the level of corruption in Cyprus. To analyze the results of the survey, the statistical package SPSS has been utilized. Findings – Seventy per cent consider corruption a major issue in Cyprus, while 60 per cent are being or have been affected by corruption directly. Almost all interviewees (92 per cent) believe that the police are also corrupted. Sixty-one per cent believe that not enough is being done to fight corruption, and in the cases that something was done, it was not enough. Seventy-five per cent blame the government, 67 per cent blame the police and 58 per cent blame the prosecutors and judges. Research limitations/implications – On the completion of the upcoming survey (for the year 2013), one can compare these results and identify the associations between the two surveys. Another limitation of this survey is that people could have answered based on their perceptions; therefore, the results should be treated with extra care. Originality/value – This research manuscript takes a step further to deepen our understanding of corruption in Cyprus. The findings of the survey performed could serve as policy prescription for the policy-makers who aim to strengthen the institutional environment in Cyprus. To do so, one should examine the current stage of the environment in Cyprus, something that this research paper explores through the survey conducted.

What’s the Law Got to Do with Corruption in Indonesia? A Case Study for Systems Theory

The article examines the extent to which systems theory (otherwise known as autopoietic theory) is useful for deepening our understanding of corruption in Indonesia. Socio-legal scholarship has conventionally assumed a direct causal link between law and social behaviour, but system theory enables scholars to consider alternative forces that are actually at work in shaping social behaviour. The article argues that while systems theory is useful, particularly in mapping out the complex relationships between different social systems and epistemic communities, it may not be the best analytical tool to approach the topic of corruption in Indonesia.

Clientelist corruption networks: conceptual and empirical approaches

Corruption is widespread all over the world. It is seen as a serious problem for wealth, equality, democracy and development. In many countries, corruption is not a deviant behaviour but the norm, generally practised by actors; hence corruption is an informal institution. Despite this, a consensual definition of corruption is nowhere in sight. One way of approaching corruption might be to study forms of corruption. A form or variant often mentioned is corruption networks, or clientelism. In this paper, clientelism is analysed in order to proceed further towards an understanding of corruption. With this perspective, corruption is not seen as a deviant behaviour but the social embeddedness of corruption is better understood. First, concepts and definitions of corruption and clientelism are discussed, highlighting core characteristics and analysing the relationship. Second, different approaches of studying and measuring clientelism are introduced’interpretative, ethnographic field studies, the use of proxies, surveys and expert surveys.

DECISIONES PÚBLICAS, BENEFICIOS PRIVADOS. CONSIDERACIONES TEÓRICAS EN TORNO A LA CORRUPCIÓN

Motivated by two scandals of corruption (CCSS-Fischel and ICE-Alcatel), this article studies some theoretical approaches that may contribute to our understanding of corruption in the contracts between the State and private sector. First, some conceptual precisions are made. Then, socioinstitutional conditions that facilitates corruption are analyzed. Finally, there are some reflections about the political implications of corruption, and some suggestions of measures in order to reduce our social vulnerability to this phenomenon.

Building Social Cohesion

While material gain continues to be a leading motivator for corrupt acts, this study shows that social status and kinship responsibilities should also be considered possible precursors to corruption. This finding has important implications for constructing an appropriate understanding of corruption, designing anticorruption policies, and achieving ethical governance in developing democracies.

Anti-corruption: the indirect ‘big bang’ approach

ABSTRACT In policies for economic development, anti-corruption measures have received increased attention. The policy advice from the international “good governance regime”, which is based on the principal-agent theory, is geared towards incremental change that will set in motion a “virtues circle”. It is argued that this theory and the following incremental policy approach is dysfunctional for curbing corruption. It is unlikely that small institutional devices can set in motion a process towards establishing “good governance” in countries were corruption is systemic. Based on an understanding of corruption as an instance of the theory of collective action, it is argued that what is needed to establish a new equilibrium of social and economic exchange is a “big-bang” type of change. Incremental policies that are based on the principal-agent theory are likely to end in a “social trap” situation worsening the problem. The argument is illustrated by an historical case-study of how corruption was eradicated in 19th century Sweden.

Corruption in public service delivery: An experimental analysis

To improve our understanding of corruption in service delivery, we use a newly designed game that allows us to investigate the effects of the institutional environment on the behavior of service providers and their monitors. We focus on the effect of four different factors: whether monitors are accountable to the service recipients, the degree of observability of service providers’ effort, the providers’ wages and the providers’ professional norms. In accordance with theory, we find that service providers perform better when monitors are elected by service recipients and when their effort is more easily observed. However, there is only weak evidence that service providers perform better when paid more. Monitors are more vigilant when elected and when service providers are paid more. Playing the game with Ethiopian nursing students, we also find that those with greater exposure to the Ethiopian public health sector perform less well, either as provider or as monitor, when the experiment is framed as a public health provision scenario, suggesting that experience and norms affect behavior.

Anti-Corruption: A Big-Bang Theory

In policies for economic development, anti-corruption measures have received increased attention. It is now possible to speak of an international good governance supported by many national and international aid organizations and their research institutes. The policy advice from this regime is to a large extent geared towards incremental change by finding institutional solutions that will set in motion a virtues circle. The argument in this article is that this is the wrong way to think about possible policies for curbing corruption and establishing good governance. On the contrary, it is very unlikely that small institutional devices can set in motion a process towards establishing good governance in countries were corruption is systemic. Based on an understanding of corruption as a trap, it is argued that what is needed to establish a new equilibrium of social and economic exchange is a big-bang. Moreover, it is argued that incremental policies which now tend to dominate the policy agenda are likely to worsen the problem and make corruption and similar practices more ingrained. The argument is illustrated by an historical case-study of how corruption was eradicated in 19th century Sweden.

Towards a common understanding of corruption in Africa

(2007). Towards a common understanding of corruption in Africa. International Journal of African Renaissance Studies - Multi-, Inter- and Transdisciplinarity: Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 239-249.

<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>Problems of Clientelism and Corruption in Poland</p> <p class=MsoNormal> </p>

Corruption is linked with the issue of clientelism. This establishes a wide understanding of that phenomenon. This wide context and understanding of corruption is simplified by the recognition of the patron-client system, accompanying corruption or even identified with it. Clientelism may be of personal or mass character, and consists of mutual provision of services, without the need to lay out funds for achieving common goals. Socio-economic transformation as profound and thorough reform of the system and institutions promotes corruption practices (the process of transfer of resources from public to private sector progressed swiftly). Clientelism is linked with the phenomenon of crony capitalism, which is treated as synonymous to corruption or favoring corruption. Corruption provides a means for maintaining and the development of client networks. Patron-client relations are of secondary nature in some societies; in other societies they substantially influence the shape of the political and economic system, as well as social structure. Such relations may transgress the borders between classes, professional groups, organizations, family relations. Where liberal-democratic parliamentarism coincides with the absence of an educated civil society, the civil service of the state, the domination of political parties and pressure groups is present, which favor clientelistic corruption, influencing the development of private sector and formation of capital. Political parties distribute and decide upon thousands of positions. They organize their own client communities. Still, typical clientelistic societies are rather not common. If they were, in the long run they would cause loss of the competitive edge of the economy on the global market. The dynamics of economy indicates that the factors which paralyze economic development have not dominated the economic system in Poland as yet, and that system maintains its autonomy. This does not imply, however, the activation of long-term growth factors and the elimination of what is called lost opportunity costs in the economy.

On Corruption and Countervailing Actions in Three South Asian Nations

We argue that readily available data and information in newspaper stories enable one to discern the nature and patterns of corruption and to understand actions taken to combat corruption. We analyze and compare numerous newspaper reports of corruption in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Using analysis derived from existing theory of corruption, we demonstrate how information in news accounts improves our understanding of corruption. Bangladesh had more coercive corruption, with countervailing actions dominated by direct actions of victims. In India and Sri Lanka, corruption was generally collusive, with countervailing actions on behalf of victims frequently leading to legal actions and investigative reports.

The political economy of corruption in Brazil

This article is the first part of a research on corruption in Brazil and it is theoretical. Despite this, it provides an economic interpretation of corruption using Brazil as a case study. The main objective of this research is to apply some microeconomic tools to understand the "big corruption"�. However, I am going to show that corruption is not simply a kind of crime. Rather, it is an ordinary economic activity that arises in some institutional environments. Firstly, some corruption cases in Brazil will be described. This article is aimed at showing that democracy itself does not ensure control over corruption. Secondly, I am going to do a very brief survey of institutional changes and controls over corruption in some Western Societies in which I am going to argue that corruption, its control and its illegality depend on institutional evolution by streamlining the constitutional and institutional framework. Thirdly, I am going to explain how some economic models could be adopted for a better understanding of corruption. Finally, I will present a multiple-self model applied to the public agent (politician and bureaucrat) constrained by institutions and pay-off systems.