Many countries especially in the developing world are faced with public administration decay manifested in high volumes and widespread corruption. To address these, there have been many laws, regulations and agencies to help fight corruption. There seems to be no significant improvement. What might explain this phenomenon of corruption although there are many institutions or anti-corruption laws? The paper below could be a starter for discussion
The calculus of corruption: a paradox of ‘strong’corruption amidst ‘strong’systems and institutions in developing administrative systems. Journal of Public Affairs.
Article The calculus of corruption: A paradox of 'strong' corruption...
Very good question Emmanuel. I'll download and read your paper. But, what if corruption is just one more resource of those who exert power (i.e. powerholders) so that decision-making can be shaped in their favour?
Good perspective Yeray, that is exactly what it suggests. Even "where there are mechanisms to check corruption, managers at the various levels of the organization have their own machinations ‘technicization’ to side-step and trick the system to have their corrupt way through; people engage in a formidable network to ‘eat up’ the technical quality of systems (quoted in Yeboah-Assiamah & Alesu-Dordzi, 2015). The argument is that corruption becomes collusive process where rational actors engage in 'scratch my back, i scratch your back'. It becomes difficult to fight it when left in the hands of public sector or public agencies alone where the tendency for clandestine collaboration may be high. It is against such backdrop that i argue elsewhere (Yeboah-Assiamah, 2016) for a systems approach to fighting corruption.
Yeboah-Assiamah, E. (2016). ‘Strong Personalities’ and ‘Strong Institutions’ Mediated by a ‘Strong Third Force’: Thinking ‘Systems’ in Corruption Control. Public Organization Review, 1-18.
Article ‘Strong Personalities’ and ‘Strong Institutions’ Mediated by...
Thanks Emmanuel. I'll read your paper carefully, since I also work on this issues.
I think we need to realize that the behaviors of all employees in workplaces are shaped more by their socialization outside of the workplace in earlier years than by policies, rules and regulations in the workplaces. As such, each employee takes the acquired beliefs, motivations, cognitions, perceptions and attitudes into the workplace. Therefore those who consistently behave in an ethical fashion would be those who had internalized a sense of morality through their earlier home and school experiences and the converse is also true. Codes of ethics in different organizations are really for the unethical. Those who have been properly socialized as indicated above would not engage in unethical behaviors such as corruption and similar activities.
Long term formal and informal institutons should support regilations, otherwise cheaters will always find a way to g junp over them.
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