ERIC Number: EJ901453
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Mar
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0037-7732
EISSN: N/A
Why Do People Engage in Corruption? The Case of Estonia
Tavits, Margit
Social Forces, v88 n3 p1257-1280 Mar 2010
This study uses survey data for 2004 on the general public (N = 788) and public officials (N = 791) in the young post-communist democracy of Estonia to examine individual-level determinants of corruption. The results indicate that both public officials and citizens are more likely to engage in corruption when they do not define corruption as wrong, and when they perceive that corrupt behavior is widespread among their peers. This social learning effect becomes statistically insignificant for those citizens who are extorted. The results provide no support for the most common argument on corruption and compliance--that people are more likely to engage in corruption when they are distrustful of their fellow citizens or of government. (Contains 3 tables, 2 figures and 11 notes.)
Descriptors: Socialization, Democracy, Public Officials, Government Role, Foreign Countries, Cheating, Social Problems, Antisocial Behavior, Ethics, Surveys, Learning Theories, Data, Motivation, Incentives, Reliability, Validity, Correlation, Intervals, Citizen Participation
University of North Carolina Press. 116 South Boundary Street, P.O. Box 2288, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2288. Tel: 800-848-6224; Tel: 919-966-7449; Fax: 919-962-2704; e-mail: uncpress@unc.edu; Web site: http://uncpress.unc.edu/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Estonia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A