Corruption and culture: An Experimental Analysis

Abigail Barr and Danila Serra

No 2008-23, CSAE Working Paper Series from Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford

Abstract: Why do some people choose corruption over honesty and others not? Do the social norms and values prevailing in the societies in which they grew up affect their decisions? In 2005, we conducted a bribery experiment and found that, among undergraduates, we could predict who would act corruptly with reference to the level of corruption in their home country, Among graduates we could no. In 2007, we replicated our result. We conclude that individuals’ propensities to act corruptly may reflect the cultures in which they grew up. However certain types of individuals may not conform to their cultures and could, therefore, act as agents for change.

Keywords: Corruption; Social Norms; Economic Experiments Culture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C91 D73 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Journal Article: Corruption and culture: An experimental analysis (2010)
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