Reducing bureaucratic corruption: Interdisciplinary perspectives on what works
This article offers the first comprehensive review of the interdisciplinary state of knowledge regarding anti-corruption policies, with a particular focus on reducing corruption among civil servants. Drawing on the work of economists, political scientists, sociologists, and anthropologists, we exami...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2018
|
| _version_ | 1797081069714931712 |
|---|---|
| author | Gans-Morse, J Borges Martins da Silva, M Makarin, A Mannah Blankson, T Nickow, A Zhang, D |
| author_facet | Gans-Morse, J Borges Martins da Silva, M Makarin, A Mannah Blankson, T Nickow, A Zhang, D |
| author_sort | Gans-Morse, J |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | This article offers the first comprehensive review of the interdisciplinary state of knowledge regarding anti-corruption policies, with a particular focus on reducing corruption among civil servants. Drawing on the work of economists, political scientists, sociologists, and anthropologists, we examine seven policy categories: (1) rewards and penalties; (2) monitoring; (3) restructuring bureaucracies; (4) screening and recruiting; (5) anti-corruption agencies; (6) educational campaigns; and (7) international agreements. Notably, rigorous empirical evaluation is lacking for the majority of commonly prescribed anti-corruption policies. Nevertheless, we find growing evidence of the effectiveness of policies based on monitoring, including anti-corruption audits and e-governance. In addition, adequate civil service wages seem to be a necessary but insufficient condition for control of corruption. An emerging skepticism regarding the effectiveness of anti-corruption agencies also is apparent in the literature. We conclude with broader lessons drawn from our review, such as the recognition that when corruption is a systemic problem, it cannot be treated in the long term with individual-level solutions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T01:09:20Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:8c748707-8800-4951-a616-e1b0588701ad |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T01:09:20Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:8c748707-8800-4951-a616-e1b0588701ad2022-03-26T22:44:39ZReducing bureaucratic corruption: Interdisciplinary perspectives on what worksJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:8c748707-8800-4951-a616-e1b0588701adEnglishSymplectic ElementsElsevier2018Gans-Morse, JBorges Martins da Silva, MMakarin, AMannah Blankson, TNickow, AZhang, DThis article offers the first comprehensive review of the interdisciplinary state of knowledge regarding anti-corruption policies, with a particular focus on reducing corruption among civil servants. Drawing on the work of economists, political scientists, sociologists, and anthropologists, we examine seven policy categories: (1) rewards and penalties; (2) monitoring; (3) restructuring bureaucracies; (4) screening and recruiting; (5) anti-corruption agencies; (6) educational campaigns; and (7) international agreements. Notably, rigorous empirical evaluation is lacking for the majority of commonly prescribed anti-corruption policies. Nevertheless, we find growing evidence of the effectiveness of policies based on monitoring, including anti-corruption audits and e-governance. In addition, adequate civil service wages seem to be a necessary but insufficient condition for control of corruption. An emerging skepticism regarding the effectiveness of anti-corruption agencies also is apparent in the literature. We conclude with broader lessons drawn from our review, such as the recognition that when corruption is a systemic problem, it cannot be treated in the long term with individual-level solutions. |
| spellingShingle | Gans-Morse, J Borges Martins da Silva, M Makarin, A Mannah Blankson, T Nickow, A Zhang, D Reducing bureaucratic corruption: Interdisciplinary perspectives on what works |
| title | Reducing bureaucratic corruption: Interdisciplinary perspectives on what works |
| title_full | Reducing bureaucratic corruption: Interdisciplinary perspectives on what works |
| title_fullStr | Reducing bureaucratic corruption: Interdisciplinary perspectives on what works |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reducing bureaucratic corruption: Interdisciplinary perspectives on what works |
| title_short | Reducing bureaucratic corruption: Interdisciplinary perspectives on what works |
| title_sort | reducing bureaucratic corruption interdisciplinary perspectives on what works |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gansmorsej reducingbureaucraticcorruptioninterdisciplinaryperspectivesonwhatworks AT borgesmartinsdasilvam reducingbureaucraticcorruptioninterdisciplinaryperspectivesonwhatworks AT makarina reducingbureaucraticcorruptioninterdisciplinaryperspectivesonwhatworks AT mannahblanksont reducingbureaucraticcorruptioninterdisciplinaryperspectivesonwhatworks AT nickowa reducingbureaucraticcorruptioninterdisciplinaryperspectivesonwhatworks AT zhangd reducingbureaucraticcorruptioninterdisciplinaryperspectivesonwhatworks |