Burden of Identifiability, and the Neuroeconomics of Corruption

Onwuham C. Akpa and Enya Fred Ota

Journal of Sustainable Development, 2026, vol. 19, issue 2, 99

Abstract: Research demonstrates clear linkages between effective anti-corruption strategies and victims of corrupt behavior (Salcedo-Albarán et al., 2008; Zandi et al., 2025). Some researchers emphasize ethnic diversity's role in obscuring relationships between corrupt behavior and its victims (Shleifer & Vishny, 1993; Yehoue, 2007). We conducted a two-pronged experiment demonstrating that the burden of identifiability (BOID), not ethnic diversity per se, determines whose needs are prioritized or overlooked. Borrowing from the Greek word Splanchna, we define the burden of identifiability as a deep emotional experience with the needs of another that motivates action. We designed and executed two dictator game experiments that collected heart rate and skin conductance data using Empatica E4, a noninvasive wearable wristband equipped with microsensors that passively record physiological data. Our data and analysis suggest that focusing solely on ethnic heterogeneity and corruption outcomes does not engineer solutions, but incorporating the unique characteristic of inclusion might point corruption-inflicted societies toward a virtuous cycle where everyone's needs are prioritized.

Date: 2026
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