How Do Intrinsic Motivations, Work‐Related Opportunities, and Well‐Being Shape Bureaucratic Corruptibility?

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13034
• Date: 01 July 2019
• Published date: 01 July 2019

552 Public Administration Review • July | A ugus t 201 9

Abstract: A large body of research focuses on the institutional factors that shape country-level corruption and the

effectiveness of macro-level anticorruption measures; however, corruption at the individual level remains understudied

and thus poorly understood. This article examines the underlying causes of and mechanisms through which individual

government bureaucrats engage in corruption. The researchers develop a framework that incorporates intrinsic

motivations, work-related opportunities, and work-related well-being to test the ways in which these micro-level

factors shape bureaucrats’ propensity to engage in corrupt behaviors (or corruptibility). Using survey data from more

than 1,300 Chinese public employees, the authors identify direct and indirect effects on corruptibility and discuss

theoretical and practical implications.

Evidence for Practice

• Public employees’ need for relatedness and desire for wealth predict corruptibility at the individual level.

Public organizations should consider individuals’ intrinsic motivations during the hiring process.

• Higher person-organization fit and lower work stress may reduce corruption. Thus, organizational training

in the public sector should include value sharing and stress management in anticorruption efforts.

• This article highlights organizational red tape again because it increases corruption both directly and

indirectly.

Yahong Zhang

Rutgers University–Newark

Ming-feng Kuo

National Taiwan University

Jinyun Guo

Sichuan University, China

Chun-yuan Wang

Central Police University of Taiwan

How Do Intrinsic Motivations, Work-Related Opportunities,

and Well-Being Shape Bureaucratic Corruptibility?

Chun-yuan Wang is associate professor

in the Department of Police Administration

and director of the General Education

Center, Central Police University, Taiwan. His

research interests include crisis management

and public human resource management.

E-mail: g885422@seed.net.tw

Jinyun Guo is associate professor in the

School of Public Administration, Sichuan

University, China. His research interests

include public performance management,

community governance, and public sector

human resources management. His

current research focuses on public service

motivation and community participation.

E-mail: guojinyun@scu.edu.cn

Ming-feng Kuo is assistant professor

in the Department of Political Science and

Graduate Institute of Public Affairs, National

Taiwan University, Taiwan. His research

interests include anticorruption studies, local

governance, citizen participation, public

policy analysis, and applied econometrics.

E-mail: mingfeng.kuo@gmail.com

Yahong Zhang is associate professor

in the School of Public Affairs and

Administration at Rutgers University–

Newark and director of the Rutgers Institute

on Anti-Corruption Studies. Her research

interests include anticorruption studies,

politics-administration relationships, citizen

participation, government transparency,

public administration education, and

quantitative research methods.

E-mail: yahongzh@newark.rutgers.edu

Public Administration Review,

Vol. 79, Iss. 4, pp. 552–564. © 2019 by

The American Society for Public Administration.

DOI: 10.1111/puar.13034.

Research Article

Public corruption remains a worldwide concern,

with anticorruption becoming a priority in

many governments’ agendas (e.g., Bauhr and

Grimes 2014; Gong and Wu 2012; Peiffer and Alvarez

2016). The effectiveness of anticorruption measures

depends on an in-depth understanding of corruption

antecedents at all levels, from the country to the

organization to the individual. This article examines

individual-level motivations and inducements for

government bureaucrats to engage in corruption. The

researchers develop a framework that incorporates

intrinsic motivations, work-related opportunities, and

work-related well-being to examine the ways in which

these factors directly or indirectly shape bureaucratic

corruptibility.

In recent years, corruption has drawn increasing

attention among public administration scholars,

who have focused on four major themes: (1) the

basic conceptual framework of corruption, including

definitions, classifications, and measures (e.g., Bauhr

2017; Cordis and Milyo 2016); (2) determinants of

corruption (e.g., Choi 2007; Kwon 2012; Relly 2012;

Stanig 2015); (3) consequences of corruption (e.g.,

Grönlund and Setälä 2012; Liu, Moldogaziev, and

Mikesell 2017); and (4) institutional anticorruption

measures (e.g., Bauhr and Grimes 2014; Peiffer and

Alvarez 2016).

Meanwhile, a large body of research has focused on

macro-level investigations, with countries as the unit

of analysis (e.g., Bauhr and Grimes 2014; Gong and

Wu 2012; Kwon 2013; Relly 2012). A much smaller

number of studies have examined corruption issues

at the state, provincial, or local government level

(e.g., Meier and Holbrook 1992; Segal 2002; Stanig

2015; Zhang and Kim 2018). These studies have

contributed greatly to the collective understanding

of the institutional causes of corruption and possible

solutions. In particular, evidence-based research

provides direction for anticorruption policies and

strategies.

Nevertheless, public corruption occurs not only

because of macro-level institutional factors, such as a

lack of government transparency and free markets, but

also because of public employees’ intrinsic motivations

and micro-level contexts. The question of what

motivates individual public employees to misbehave

under certain institutional conditions is equally

important as macro-level inquiries and deserves

systematic examination.