Street-based corruption in the Philippines: Motives, ethical considerations and organizational context

College

Ramon V. Del Rosario College of Business

Department/Unit

Management and Organization Department

Document Type

Article

Source Title

Journal of Interdisciplinary Economics

Volume

26

Issue

1-2

First Page

145

Last Page

160

Publication Date

1-1-2014

Abstract

Mainstream studies generally focus on the formal organizational context of corruption, leaving out its informal complexity. This study seeks to examine street-based corruption, or kotongan, as a case of informal complexity of organizational corruption widely occurring in the major thoroughfares of the Philippines. Kotongan refers to the payment of bribe, called kotong or areglo, by the drivers to the state authorities (for example, police, traffic managers and local government personnel), respectively. This study takes the views of 16 bus and jeepney drivers based in Baclaran, Batangas, Buendia and Molino to explain the practice and enforcement of kotongan. A framework has been developed in this study in which the motives of drivers, their ethical decision-making considerations and the organizational support received by state authorities from connections serve as crucial elements. The study also reveals that corruption involves a process of communication preference for bribery, as well as the negotiation and agreement between drivers and apprehending parties. These processes are all backed up by different sets of motivators and ethical considerations in the decision making of drivers, and the changing configuration of support shown to state authorities by their connections.

html

Digitial Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1177/0260107914540828

Disciplines

Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance | Sociology

Keywords

Bribery--Philippines; Corruption--Philippines; Street life—Corrupt practices--Philippines

Upload File

wf_yes

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS