Publicação
Tolerance towards corruption in democracy: measurement, mass-elite (in)congruence, and causality
| Resumo: | This thesis provides a more nuanced understanding of «Tolerance towards Corruption» (TtC) in democracy. In chapter one, major cross-country indices to measure TtC are compared, indicating that there islimited information on individuals’ predisposition to tolerate types of corruption that raise legal ambiguity or are less focused on the transactive nature of the phenomenon. Citizens’ tolerance towards illicit corrupt exchanges to obtain public services in Europe appears to depend on age, and perceived corruption extension and prior contact. In chapter two, citizens’ and politicians’ patterns of tolerance towards market, parochial, and institutional types of corruption are explored, using Portugal as a case study. The major conclusion is that the normalisation of parochial corruption in power relations has indirectly facilitated the perpetuation of institutional mechanisms that reinforce social exclusion and the adoption of unethical behaviours as a means of restoring a sense of equality and reducing feelings of relative deprivation, especially among younger individuals. In chapter three, the responses of university students in Portugal and Spain to an online conjoint experiment were used to identify the motivations to tolerate a corrupt politician seeking re-election. The results demonstrate that the decision to vote for a corruption-tainted candidate is influenced by factors beyond ideological alignment, such asthe candidate’s availability and integrity, the existence of benefits that resulted from the corrupt actions, and the absence of connections between the scandal and judicial investigations. The general findings indicate that there is no straightforward, universal measurement, or solution to TtC in democracy. Instead, what is required is an articulated approach, encompassing the dissemination of knowledge on corruption-related issues to the younger generations, the regulation of ethical standards across the various domains of political activity, the promotion of integrity as a fundamental value, and the implementation of policies designed to alleviate the feelings of deprivation. |
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| Autores principais: | Maciel, Gustavo |
| Assunto: | Percepções Medição Opinião pública Elites politicas |
| Ano: | 2025 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | tese de doutoramento |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso embargado |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade de Lisboa |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Repositório da Universidade de Lisboa |
| Resumo: | This thesis provides a more nuanced understanding of «Tolerance towards Corruption» (TtC) in democracy. In chapter one, major cross-country indices to measure TtC are compared, indicating that there islimited information on individuals’ predisposition to tolerate types of corruption that raise legal ambiguity or are less focused on the transactive nature of the phenomenon. Citizens’ tolerance towards illicit corrupt exchanges to obtain public services in Europe appears to depend on age, and perceived corruption extension and prior contact. In chapter two, citizens’ and politicians’ patterns of tolerance towards market, parochial, and institutional types of corruption are explored, using Portugal as a case study. The major conclusion is that the normalisation of parochial corruption in power relations has indirectly facilitated the perpetuation of institutional mechanisms that reinforce social exclusion and the adoption of unethical behaviours as a means of restoring a sense of equality and reducing feelings of relative deprivation, especially among younger individuals. In chapter three, the responses of university students in Portugal and Spain to an online conjoint experiment were used to identify the motivations to tolerate a corrupt politician seeking re-election. The results demonstrate that the decision to vote for a corruption-tainted candidate is influenced by factors beyond ideological alignment, such asthe candidate’s availability and integrity, the existence of benefits that resulted from the corrupt actions, and the absence of connections between the scandal and judicial investigations. The general findings indicate that there is no straightforward, universal measurement, or solution to TtC in democracy. Instead, what is required is an articulated approach, encompassing the dissemination of knowledge on corruption-related issues to the younger generations, the regulation of ethical standards across the various domains of political activity, the promotion of integrity as a fundamental value, and the implementation of policies designed to alleviate the feelings of deprivation. |
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