How Feeling Influences Corrupt Behaviour: Exploring Dominant Emotional Drivers of Corruption

Kemi Ogunyemi
Pan-Atlantic University

Abstract

Similar to other economies, emerging ones face the challenges posed by corruption. There are many factors that drive corrupt practices, and studies show that emotions such as greed, fear, etc. (Kirchgässner, 2014 & Brierly, 2022) are important factors that increase the incidence of corruption in developed countries and developing countries as well. Few studies however have clearly demonstrated the involvement of emotions in an African setting (Boamah, Watson, Amoako, Osei, Kwadwo, Nyamekye, Adamu & Appiah, 2021). It is also known that the economies vary around the continent. Yet, Nigeria as an emerging economy is one of the largest in Africa and could give an insight into its sub-Saharan context. It would be interesting to explore drivers of corruption in Nigeria, especially the emotional factors which scholars have paid limited attention to thus far. This research explores the perceptions of the emotions as drivers of corrupt behaviour among individuals who have undergone anticorruption training in Nigeria. The objectives therefore are 1) to explore the dominant emotional drivers of corrupt practices; 2) to gain insight into how such drivers influence individuals to behave in corrupt ways, and 3) to suggest ways in which these can be taken into account to enhance anti-corruption efforts in the country studied as well as in other contexts.

Presentation