Individual and Contextual Factors Associated With the Prevention of Corruption: A Qualitative Study Among Iranian Public Employees

Background: Little research has been done to identify the individual-level factors contributing to the prevention of administrative corruption. Specifically, Iranian public employees are an understudied population in terms of individual and contextual factors that contribute to the prevention of administrative corruption. This study aimed to identify the perception of public servants about the psychosocial factors that facilitate the prevention of corruption.

Method: Data were collected using semistructured interviews with 14 individuals working in public sector departments or agencies in Tehran.

Results: Six main themes emerged from the data: cognitive characteristics (including “detachment-promoting thoughts and beliefs” and “consequence-focused thoughts and beliefs”), emotional patterns (including “deterrent negative emotions” and “deterrent positive emotions”), personality characteristics (including “self-oriented conservative personality traits” and “other-oriented prosocial personality traits”), behavioral strategies (including “need-fulfillment strategies” and “self-care strategies”), familial background (including “growing up in a rule-oriented and value-oriented family” and “living with an honest and supportive spouse”), and organizational context (including “employee monitoring” and “rule-based and ethical space of the organization”).

Conclusion: The study reveals some psychological and contextual factors that could be involved in preventing administrative corruption in Iran. These factors can be taken into consideration when designing preventive measures and policies aimed at reducing corrupt behaviors in public agents and promoting ethics in public service.