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The Curse of Good Intentions: Why Anticorruption Messaging Can Encourage Bribery

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  • CHEESEMAN, NIC
  • PEIFFER, CARYN

Abstract

Awareness-raising messages feature prominently in most anticorruption strategies. Yet, there has been limited systematic research into their efficacy. There is growing concern that anticorruption awareness-raising efforts may be backfiring; instead of encouraging citizens to resist corruption, they may be nudging them to “go with the corrupt grain.” This study offers a first test of the effect of anticorruption messaging on ordinary people’s behavior. A household-level field experiment, conducted with a representative sample in Lagos, Nigeria, is used to test whether exposure to five different messages about (anti)corruption influence the outcome of a “bribery game.” We find that exposure to anticorruption messages largely fails to discourage the decision to bribe, and in some cases it makes individuals more willing to pay a bribe. Importantly, we also find that the effect of anticorruption messaging is conditioned by an individual’s preexisting perceptions regarding the prevalence of corruption.

Suggested Citation

  • Cheeseman, Nic & Peiffer, Caryn, 2022. "The Curse of Good Intentions: Why Anticorruption Messaging Can Encourage Bribery," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 116(3), pages 1081-1095, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:116:y:2022:i:3:p:1081-1095_22
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    Cited by:

    1. Bergeron-Boutin, Olivier & Ciobanu, Costin & Cohen, Guila & Erlich, Aaron, 2023. "Replicating Backfire Effects in Anti-Corruption Messaging: A Comment on Cheeseman and Peiffer (2022)," I4R Discussion Paper Series 94, The Institute for Replication (I4R).

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