To What Extent is the Government Working to Crack Down on Corruption and Root Out Bribes?

Abstract

The present study is part of a much larger study that examined the ethics of bribery and the ethics of tax evasion from a variety of perspectives. This study gathered data from the most recent wave of interviews conducted by the World Values Survey to determine the extent to which governments attempted to crack down on corruption and root out bribery. This question was asked in just three MENA (Middle Eastern and North African) countries: Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon. The analysis found that none of these countries were doing much about corruption and bribe taking, at least in the minds of those who were surveyed. Although Jordan had the best score, well under 50% of those surveyed believed that Jordan was doing much to combat corruption and bribery. Iraq ranked last, with a favorable approval rating of less than 25%. The women in all three countries had a more positive view regarding their government’s efforts to root out corruption and bribery, but even the most favorable group of females had a favorable view in less than 50% of the cases. Other demographic variables examined included age, social class, income level, education level, ethnic group, and religious denomination.