ECPR General Conference 2016

At the ECPR General Conference in Prague, 7-10 September 2016, we organized a panel on "Corruption and Norms". This panel discussed papers that focus on the relationship between corruption and norms from different fields of study, theoretical and methodological approaches and different regions or countries. We synthesized different perspectives that can be used for innovative analysis and solution strategies on the micro- (individuals), meso- (institutions), and macro-level (states), e.g. by creating anti-corruption norms.

This panel was the first initiative for our book on "Corruption and Norms: Why Informal Rules Matter" that will be published in October 2017 by Palgrave Macmillan.

 

Panel Chair: Ina Kubbe, Tel Aviv University

Panel Co-Chair: Oksana Huss, University of Duisburg-Essen

Panel Discussant: Anna K. Schwickerath, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf 

 

The impact of corruption on all areas of individuals’ lives suggests that it is vital for the well-being of citizens to understand why people sometimes act corruptly and sometimes not. Previous research offers different theoretical and conceptual approaches and includes a variety of causal explanations for the emergence of corruption – ranging from institutional settings or certain motives to culturally influenced norms or values. Conceiving corruption as a part of everyday life, constructed by a society’s specific traditions, values, norms and institutions, our panel focuses in particular on the role of norms in the description, explanation, prediction, and combat of corruption. Norms are cultural products including values, customs and traditions that shape an individual’s basic knowledge of what others do and what others think they should do. They dictate the extent to which individuals engage, and expect others to engage in corruption (Sandholtz and Taagepera, 2005; Banuri and Eckel, 2012). They work as an informal institution generating incentives and constraints for actors and also shape institutional outcomes (Fjelde and Hegre, 2014). However, while formal institutions are directly observable, informal institutions are more difficult to capture empirically and to isolate from other influences. Nevertheless, they play a central role in explaining corruption and require particular considerations. Social norms can include forms of trust such as interpersonal trust, reputation and reciprocity and differ across and within countries.

This panel welcomes papers that focus on the relationship between corruption and norms from different fields of study, theoretical and methodological approaches and different regions or countries. We aim to synthesize different perspectives that can be used for innovative analysis and solution strategies on the micro- (individuals), meso- (institutions), and macro-level (states), e.g. by creating anti-corruption norms. 

 

Paper list:

Nils Köbis, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam / Steven Gawthorpe, Charles University in Prague: "An Experiment on Social Norms and the Way to Power"

Ina Kubbe, Tel Aviv University: "Corruption Games across Cultures"

Oksana Huss, University of Duisburg-Essen: "Possibility of bottom-up resistance when corruption is a norm?"

Sofia Wickberg, Sciences Po Paris: "Social norms as reflected by the press media's coverage of corruption"