Corruption is often driven by complex social characteristics and informal rules, which by their nature are challenging to research and hard to prove with certainty. This makes it difficult to identify appropriate and effective solutions. However, evidence-gathering on corruption is starting to focus more systematically on the social relationships and cultural contexts that sustain corrupt practices. Social norms research, in particular, is gaining attention in anti-corruption efforts and policymaking, as it serves as a diagnostic tool to assess the behavioural causes of various types of corruption and the social factors that create a tolerant environment for such practices.
Understanding both how corruption functions as a collective practice and the social markers that determine what actions are acceptable or disapproved of by citizens is crucial to improving the success of anti-corruption efforts. The social consequences of failing to adhere to collective expectations have a powerful influence, both on individual behaviour and on whether the level of coordination and cooperation necessary for collectively and sustainably tackling corruption can be galvanized and maintained.
The Chatham House Africa Programme’s Social Norms and Accountable Governance (SNAG) project adopts an approach based on social norms methodology to systematically test for shared beliefs and expectations that inform individuals’ behaviours and their choices to engage in or refrain from, or to accept or reject, corruption. With a primary focus on Nigeria, and working with methodology developed by our research partners at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Social Norms and Behavioral Dynamics, SNAG implemented its second national household survey in Nigeria in 2018, investigating the social beliefs that motivate different forms of corruption. This briefing paper is one in a series of three, providing analysis of data from the different survey scenarios on three separate behaviours: the diversion of government funds for religious community use; bribery in exchange for improved grades in national examinations; and vote-selling.
The survey scenario on petty bribery in schools assessed the role of social beliefs and expectations in the practice of bribe-giving by parents or guardians to obtain a pass mark or improved grades for school-going children in a national examination. This paper presents analysis of the survey data which underscores the critical importance of understanding the social influences of different forms of corruption. The research also shows how the effectiveness of anti-corruption interventions hinges on the proper diagnosis of which forms of corruption are underpinned by social norms, and which practices are driven by other shared beliefs. For example, practices can be motivated by descriptive norms (norms which people follow because of what they expect others to do), customs (behaviours that motivate individuals to act because they meet an immediate need), or unmitigated circumstances.
