Digitalization and Government Corruption in Developing Countries: Towards a Framework and Research Agenda

Abstract

Research focusing on the nexus between digital technologies and government corruption in developing countries has reported mixed findings and painted an incoherent picture.Through a review of 90 relevant studies published over the last two decades we develop an inductive framework that connects 7 defining themes: (1) the broader socioeconomic context of developing countries (2) anti-corruption strategies and strategizing in developing countries (3) digitalization processes (4) strategic role of digital technologies and modalities of anti-corruption change (5) formative structures of government organizations (6) barriers within government organizations and (7) positive and negative effects of digitalization on corruption. Deriving from this framework, we highlight underresearched concerns and outline a research agenda to (1) clarify the links between anticorruption strategizing and digitalization interventions (2) explicate the materialization of corruption in specific organizational domains, work systems, and processes in developing countries, their embedded nature in the organizational and broader context, and the modalities by which digitalization comes to affect or be affected by it (3) uncover digitalization enabled capabilities and dynamic capabilities in the fight against corruption and (4) embrace methodological diversity such as more processual and long-term studies; ethnographic studies, and methods that bridge quantitative and qualitative insights by exploring novel measures and evidence sources.

Does the Digitalization of Public Services Influence Economic and Financial Crime?

“…The informational base, the technological infrastructure, works precariously, so that the desired potential was not reached, namely to contribute in reducing the level of corruption. Among the few studies that have addressed the division of developed and developing states, Addo & Senyo (2020) address the topic of explaining the increase in the level of corruption in the context of digitalization in developing countries. They motivate the results on the focus usually more concentrated on the theoretical potential of technology adoption, and not on its real effects.…”

Examining the linkages between digitalisation, public service delivery and corruption in Ghana

“…According to Raj (2022) and Addo and Senyo (2020), if digitalisation is accompanied by improvements in public service delivery, such as reducing bureaucratic red tape, increasing responsiveness to citizen needs, and enhancing the quality of services, then it can help to reduce corruption. By improving the quality of public service delivery, digitalisation can create a culture of trust between citizens and the government, reducing the likelihood of corrupt practices (Nechba et al , 2022).…”

Orchestrating a digital platform ecosystem to address societal challenges: A robust action perspective

“…Implementing a participative architecture was associated with the biggest transformation of all, in terms of the inclusion of marginalized individuals and groups in service provisioning. In addition to advancing distributive justice through widely accepted e-governance initiatives, costs savings, effectiveness, efficiency, and various improvements in welfare and public service delivery were realized (Addo and Senyo, 2020, 2021; Gupta and Pal, 2020; Mudliar, 2021). However, such inclusion was at times fragile (Singh and Jackson, 2017), and risks of exclusion remained a threat.…”