The cat and the rat sleep together : an analysis of the factors that influence corruption in Malta

Abstract

Away from the sensationalist slant that the mass media often attributes to instances of exposed, corrupt public officials, this study seeks to explore the factors that influence contemporary corruption within the Maltese public administration. For many years, corruption was a matter best ignored, and it was better for one to pretend that it simply did not exist, or at most, that a certain amount of corruption was, in essence, an unavoidable by-product of rapid development. Yet, such justifications of corruption are becoming ever more unacceptable, and the laissez-faire attitude of civic society and public administration is gradually being replaced by a culture of greater transparency and accountability. Attempting to understand the fabric of corruption is no easy task, most notably due to its elusive and stealthy nature. Whilst other forms of misbehaviour once commonplace and legitimate have become increasingly unacceptable, corruption seems to be far more resilient and persistent. Part of this resilience may stem from the ambiguous attitudes different societies attribute to corruption. An ambiguity lost in conflicting interests and collusive arrangements, an ambiguity best captured by the cat and rat sleeping together. For the purpose of this study, the understanding and meaning of the term ‘corruption’ shall be based on the definition put forward by Klitgaard (1998), which states, ‘corruption is the misuse of office for unofficial ends.’ One must acknowledge that this definition provides a broad overview of corruption. However, this broad definition has been selected by design, for a broad understanding also encompasses other significant variables such as culture, social climate, customs, as well as political and economic considerations. This broad approach is supported by Heidenheimer’s (1989) work, in which the author outlines shades of corruption, ranging from white, to grey, to black, and largely dependent upon the composition of the given society’s elite and mass opinion. The aim of this study is to investigate the relevance and respective importance of endogenous and exogenous factors described in the literature on influencing corruption within the local setting. To this effect, the objectives of this study are threefold: 1. to explore the degree of relevance of endogenous and exogenous factors in relation to corruption from the perspective of the senior public officer; 2. to evaluate the proposed working model of corruption; 3. to generate insights in translating these processes into specific recommendations for corruption-related policy development in Malta.