Human nature and morality in the anti-corruption discourse of transparency international
By: Gebel, Anja C.
Material type:
ArticlePublisher: 2012Description: p.109-128.Subject(s): Morality | Corruption
In:
Public Administration and DevelopmentSummary: Against the background of failing anti-corruption programmes, this article examines the discourse of the anti-corruption international non-governmental organisation Transparency International (TI), thereby focussing on the organisation's use of the concepts of integrity and ethics. Their meaning and significance is explored by looking at policy measures advocated by TI and particularly at the conception of human nature underlying the organisation's discourse. On the basis of TI documents and interviews with TI staff, the article argues that there is dominance within TI discourse of a mechanistic conception of human nature as rational and self-interested. This leads to an over-emphasis on institutional engineering and the strengthening of oversight and control (to set ﾑdisincentivesﾒ for corruption), while neglecting the socialﾖmoral components of human behaviour as well as the political processes of their generation. This conception of human behaviour makes concepts such as ﾑethicsﾒ mean not much more than ﾑrulesﾒ, ﾑintegrityﾒ mean no more than ﾑrule-conforming behaviourﾒ and ﾑpreventionﾒ mean no more than ﾑcontrolﾒ. While discussing some of the difficulties involved in addressing morals, the article argues that without reconsidering its conception of human nature, it will be difficult for TI to re-orient and impro
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Indian Institute of Public Administration | Volume no: 32, Issue no: 1 | Available | AR98153 |
Against the background of failing anti-corruption programmes, this article examines the discourse of the anti-corruption international non-governmental organisation Transparency International (TI), thereby focussing on the organisation's use of the concepts of integrity and ethics. Their meaning and significance is explored by looking at policy measures advocated by TI and particularly at the conception of human nature underlying the organisation's discourse. On the basis of TI documents and interviews with TI staff, the article argues that there is dominance within TI discourse of a mechanistic conception of human nature as rational and self-interested. This leads to an over-emphasis on institutional engineering and the strengthening of oversight and control (to set ﾑdisincentivesﾒ for corruption), while neglecting the socialﾖmoral components of human behaviour as well as the political processes of their generation. This conception of human behaviour makes concepts such as ﾑethicsﾒ mean not much more than ﾑrulesﾒ, ﾑintegrityﾒ mean no more than ﾑrule-conforming behaviourﾒ and ﾑpreventionﾒ mean no more than ﾑcontrolﾒ. While discussing some of the difficulties involved in addressing morals, the article argues that without reconsidering its conception of human nature, it will be difficult for TI to re-orient and impro
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