Causal Factors of Corruption in Construction Project Management: An Overview

Abstract

The development of efficient and strategic anti-corruption measures can be better achieved if a deeper understanding and identification of the causes of corruption are established. Over the past years, many studies have been devoted to the research of corruption in construction management (CM). This has resulted in a significant increase in the body of knowledge on the subject matter, including the causative factors triggering these corrupt practices. However, an apropos systematic assessment of both past and current studies on the subject matter which is needful for the future endeavor is lacking. Moreover, there is an absence of unified view of the causative factors of corruption identified in construction project management (CPM). This paper, therefore, presents a comprehensive review of the causes of corruption from selected articles in recognized construction management journals to address the mentioned gaps. A total number of 44 causes of corruption were identified from 37 publications and analyzed in terms of existing causal factors of corruption, annual trend of publications and the thematic categorization of the identified variables. The most identifiable causes were over close relationships, poor professional ethical standards, negative industrial and working conditions, negative role models and inadequate sanctions. A conceptual framework of causes of corruption was established, after categorizing the 44 variables into five unique categories. In descending order, the five constructs are Psychosocial-Specific Causes, Organizational-Specific Causes, Regulatory-Specific Causes, Project-Specific Causes and Statutory-Specific Causes. This study extends the current literature of corruption research in construction management and contributes to a deepened understanding of the causal instigators of corruption identified in CPM. The findings from this study provide valuable information and extended knowledge to industry practitioners and policymakers as well as anti-corruption agencies in the formulation and direction of anti-corruption measures. To corruption researchers in CM, this study is vital for further research.

A Global Review of Sustainable Construction Project Financing: Policies, Practices, and Research Efforts

“…Web of Science is a powerful, highly recognized academic search engines used by researchers worldwide to track the latest research progress in various areas [34][35][36][37][38]. Thus, this paper selected to use Web of Science to track down those published journal articles relating to sustainable construction project financing.…”

Reputation Management in the AEC-industry after Work-related Crime

“…The literature review carried out in preparing this article revealed that crime in the AEC-industry typically has been examined according to specific perspectives, notably corruption research (Locatelli et al, 2017;Owusu et al, 2017), research on workplace related crime (CIOB, 2009;Golden and Skibniewski, 2010;Zhang et al, 2014;Zitkiene et al, 2016), so-called social dumping (Bengtsson, 2014;Bernaciak, 2016;Fromentin, 2016) and tax evasion schemes (Barth et al, 2008;Behling and Harvey, 2015). A notable exception to this is the momentous work of Williams et al (Williams, 2005;2008;2009a;b;Williams and Nadin, 2012;Williams and Horodnic, 2015), who through a long series of publications have scrutinized what can be called grey zones, that is, patterns of action where criminal and legal activities intertwine.…”

Assessing Procurement Irregularities in the Supply-Chain of Ghanaian Construction Projects: A Soft-Computing Approach

“…Moreover, contrasting to other topical areas (including forms, causes, and anti-corruption measures) that are more generic in corruption-related studies, procurement irregularities are context-specific (Owusu et al, 2017;Le et al, 2014a). Simply put, the variables captured under this construct vary from institution to institution and from country to country.…”

“…Over the years, studies have been conducted to identify some of the rationales behind corruption and their associated forms other than one's greed for money, especially in the context of construction procurement. Owusu, Chan, and Shan (2017) presented a conceptual framework in a recent review study on the causal factors of corruption in construction projects. The framework encapsulated 44 causal variables captured under five constructs.…”

“…Irregularities may also indicate possible presence of corruption (Le et al 2014). That said, procurement irregularities are not necessarily causes of corruption, neither do they directly trigger the occurrence of corrupt practices but rather induce negative sufficient conditions that make procurement process vulnerable to corruption (Owusu et al, 2017). They can be referred to as indirect systematic loopholes or negative actions of public officials or project parties that trigger causal factors of corruption.…”