Paper short abstract:

Unequal access to social networks in particular, and social capital in general, has the potential of increasing corruption proclivities. However, the level of human agency an individual exhibits can be substituted for the inequality of social capital and its effects on corruption.

Paper long abstract:

We examine the role of differing levels of social capital and human agency in shaping corruption proclivities. We use data from the World Values Survey and other data sources for 308, 901 individuals from 98 countries employing a multilevel modelling approach. We find that, though social structures have an influence on individual corruption proclivities, an increase in the agency of individuals alter how these social structures affect corrupt behaviours of individuals. Individuals with either high levels of agency or low intensity of connections within their (multiple) networks tend to be less likely to develop a proclivity towards corruption. Also, no social network structure (either bonding or bridging) is particularly more benign than the other. What matters for corrupt behaviours is the intensity of connections within a network which has the tendency to breed in-group loyalties and particularism leading to partiality, hence increasing corrupt behaviours.

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