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A cross-country evaluation of cheating in academia: is it related to ‘real world’ business ethics?

Author

Listed:
  • Maria Fátima Rocha

    (Faculdade de Economia, Universidade do Porto and Universidade Fernando Pessoa)

  • Aurora A.C. Teixeira

    (CEMPRE, Faculdade de Economia, Universidade do Porto)

Abstract

Today’s economics and business students are expected to be our future’s business people and potentially our tomorrow’s economic leaders and politicians. Thus, their beliefs and practices are likely to affect the definition of acceptable economics and business ethics. The empirical evaluation of the cheating phenomenon in academia has been almost exclusively focused on the US context, and the non-US studies involve, in general, a narrow scope of countries. In the present paper we perform a wide cross-country study on the determinants of economics and business undergraduate cheating which involves 21 countries from the American (4), European (14), Africa (2) and Oceania (1) Continents and 7213 students. We found that the average magnitude of copying among the economics and business undergraduates is quite high (62%) but with a significant cross-country heterogeneity. The probability of cheating is significantly lower in students enrolled in schools located in the Nordic or the US plus British Isles blocks when compared with their South Europe counterparts; quite surprisingly that probability is also lower for the African block. Distinctly, students enrolled in schools from the Western and especially from the Eastern Europe observe statistically significant higher propensities for perpetrating academic fraud. Our findings further suggest that average cheating propensity in academia is significantly correlated with ‘real world’ business corruption.

Suggested Citation

  • Maria Fátima Rocha & Aurora A.C. Teixeira, 2006. "A cross-country evaluation of cheating in academia: is it related to ‘real world’ business ethics?," FEP Working Papers 214, Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Economia do Porto.
    • Handle: RePEc:por:fepwps:214
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Joe Kerkvliet & Charles L. Sigmund, 1999. "Can We Control Cheating in the Classroom?," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(4), pages 331-343, December.
    2. Gary S. Becker, 1974. "Crime and Punishment: An Economic Approach," NBER Chapters, in: Essays in the Economics of Crime and Punishment, pages 1-54, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    4. Maria de Fátima Rocha & Aurora A.C. Teixeira, 2005. "Crime without punishment: An update review of the determinants of cheating among university students," FEP Working Papers 191, Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Economia do Porto.
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    6. Maria de Fátima Rocha & Aurora A.C. Teixeira, 2005. "College cheating in Portugal: results from a large scale survey," FEP Working Papers 197, Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Economia do Porto.
    7. Jan R. Magnus & Victor M. Polterovich & Dmitri L. Danilov & Alexei V. Savvateev, 2002. "Tolerance of Cheating: An Analysis Across Countries," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(2), pages 125-135, June.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    cheating; corruption; university; economics; business; countries;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A22 - General Economics and Teaching - - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics - - - Undergraduate
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions

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