Individual corrupt behavior: An experimental analysis of the influence factors personality and gender

Abstract

There is no clarity in the literature on the extent to which the personality and gender factors influence the propensity of individual employees to engage in corruption. This topic is gaining importance not only in theory but also in practice due to increasing scandals and violations of regulations. In this paper, the influence of personality and gender on corruption propensity and corrupt behavior is investigated using an experimental design of 2×2 groups. A study of 134 students from different universities in 2020 served as the sample. It was found that there are significant differences in corruption propensity and corrupt behavior between subjects. The case underlying the experiment involved a company where the subjects of the experiment worked. As a result, they were asked by the CEO of the company to hand over a suitcase of money containing bribes. It was found that women showed a higher degree of conscientiousness than men, but a significantly lower propensity to corruption overall than the male subjects.