The Anthropology of Corruption

Torsello, Davide; Venard, Bertrand

doi:10.1177/1056492615579081

Cited by 116 publications

(100 citation statements)

References 116 publications

(180 reference statements)

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“…According to this view, what is defined as corrupt and illegal by the authorities, is often regarded as gift giving, a morally justifiable act by local population (Torsello and Venard 2015). The legal system should not be the primary standard against which practices are judged as either gift giving or bribes (Smart and Hsu 2008).…”

Section: Anthropological Concepts Of Gift and Bribementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rather than crisply defining "gift" anthropologists consider gift giving and bribing as "emic" concepts that should not be defined by the observer scientist but rather ought to be examined from the perspective of local people (Torsello and Venard 2015). Gift and bribe are what local actors believe that they are (Werner 2002).…”

Section: Anthropological Concepts Of Gift and Bribementioning

confidence: 99%

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Gift Giving and Corruption

Graycar

Jancsics

2016

International Journal of Public Administration

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When individuals exchange gifts social bonds are strengthened and reciprocity is created. If the gift and the reciprocation both come from private resources it is clearly a gift. If what is reciprocated after a gift is given comes from an organization, or is a government resource rather than from "one's own pocket" then it is most likely a bribe. The key variable is not the value of the gift but the transparency of the transaction. What has occurred is the trading of entrusted authority. This is corruption, and a serious danger to public policy.This study reviews anthropological literature on gift giving, and constructs a typology for the examining the gift/ bribe distinction in public administration. This classification helps to distinguish analytically among different types of gift practice and clarify conceptual ambiguity of the terms gift and bribe.

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Section: Anthropological Concepts Of Gift and Bribementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Anthropological Concepts Of Gift and Bribementioning

confidence: 99%

Gift Giving and Corruption

Graycar

Jancsics

2016

International Journal of Public Administration

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“…A second stream of research that employs more direct forms of studying corruption stems from social anthropology (for a recent overview, see Torsello and Venard 2016). These studies usually adopt qualitative methodologies, such as ethnographic research, in order to gain an in-depth understanding of cultures of corruption that are prevalent in certain national or organizational settings.…”

Section: Methodological Challenges Of Studying Corrupt Transactions Imentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research on corruption has been growing steadily over the past decades and encompasses various academic disciplines such as organization and management studies (e.g., Ashforth et al 2008), economics (e.g., Sequeira 2012), or (political) anthropology and sociology (e.g., Torsello and Venard 2016). Ashforth et al (2008) identify two dominant modes of explanation for the occurrence of corruption.…”

Section: Conceptual Shortcomings Of Corruption Research: Neglecting Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

Goffman’s Return to Las Vegas: Studying Corruption as Social Interaction

Schoeneborn

Homberg²

2016

J Bus Ethics

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In this paper, we argue that corruption research can benefit from studying corrupt transactions as a particular form of social interaction. We showcase the usefulness of a theoretical focus on social interaction by investigating online user reports on the website Frontdesktip.com. Through this focus, we can observe users sharing experiences and tips on the best ways of bribing hotel clerks in Las Vegas for attaining room upgrades and other complimentary extras. We employ a logistic regression analysis to examine what factors influence the ''successful'' performance of this bribery practice. Our study makes a twofold contribution to existing research on corruption. First, on the theoretical level, we show that the typified and scripted character of social interactions can help explain the occurrence of corrupt transactions. Second, on a methodological level, our study showcases online self-reports as a useful data source to study corrupt transactions in an unobtrusive way.

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“…In addition, paying bribe is a breakthrough to not following long bureaucratic process as regulated by formal law [17]. In…”

Section: Citizen"s Response To Ethical Vague Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Biaya Seikhlasnya or Sincere Tariffs in Public Service: Citizenqs Responses Towards Vague Corruption Practices

Pradikta¹,

Ali²

2017

Proceedings of the International Conference on Ethics in Governance (ICONEG 2016)

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AbstractCorruption in organizational theory has been understood through formal law violation and power abuses frame. However, the proposition in organizational perspectives are gaining criticism as failed in capturing local culture of societies. This research presents cultural sides of corruption in order to grasp with vague practice in the institutional theory. Within the setting of petty corruption in Indonesia, we provide citizen perspectives when they deal with bribery almost in daily basis. Our findings reveal that religious term, especially Ikhlas or sincere, often coined by official to activate philanthropy and citizen's empathy. In turn, it makes citizen to hand money without feeling of being coerced. However, we also found contradiction in the citizen perceptions and actions. On the one hand, they perceived the practice against the law and ethics. On the other hand, they also intend to give, if they are asked unofficial cost in the future. Further, this research also contributes to interaction between organizational theory and cultural in corruption.

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The Anthropology of Corruption

Cited by 116 publications

References 116 publications

Gift Giving and Corruption

Gift Giving and Corruption

Goffman’s Return to Las Vegas: Studying Corruption as Social Interaction

Biaya Seikhlasnya or Sincere Tariffs in Public Service: Citizenqs Responses Towards Vague Corruption Practices

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