Motivation, Discretion, and Corruption

Increased monitoring, higher wages, and less discretion are some of the generic remedies for corruption. However, these remedies can be expensive, and may reduce bureaucrats’ public service effort and increase corruption. A theoretical model shows that extrinsic motivation for public service (e.g., performance pay) can reduce corruption without some of these side effects. Using a unique survey on 800 central government bureaucrats in Korea, this article also provides individual-level micro evidence that is largely consistent with the predictions of the theoretical model. Interestingly, the evidence suggests that bureaucrats’ intrinsic motivation (e.g., public service motivation) is as negatively associated with their corruptibility as extrinsic motivation. Also, bureaucrats’ frequent contact with civil organizations is negatively associated with their corruptibility, whereas frequent contact with the media is positively correlated with corruptibility.