IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/padxxx/v45y2025i2p96-111.html

The Role of Integrated Governance Principles in the Fight Against Corruption: A Configurational Analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Seyed Ashkan Zarghami

Abstract

Good governance offers a transformative approach to controlling corruption; however, existing literature on the governance‐corruption nexus is limited by two significant flaws: (1) it overlooks the combined effects of governance principles on corruption levels, and (2) it relies on traditional statistical methods rooted in correlational arguments that fail to address asymmetric problems, where factors that drive success in some cases may have little or no impact in others. To overcome these shortcomings, this research applies fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to data from 32 European countries, uncovering multiple configurations that lead to successful corruption control. Drawing on institutional theory, the findings highlight three essential strategies: governments must legitimate their actions by building public consensus, securing the support of political parties and legislatures, and leveraging media to establish cognitive legitimacy. Additionally, open systems theory reveals that governments must move beyond internal governance, fostering dynamic interactions with their external environments through policy feedback and societal consultation. The study provides practical insights for policymakers, outlining specific combinations of governance principles that are necessary and complementary for effectively mitigating corruption.

Suggested Citation

  • Seyed Ashkan Zarghami, 2025. "The Role of Integrated Governance Principles in the Fight Against Corruption: A Configurational Analysis," Public Administration & Development, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 45(2), pages 96-111, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:padxxx:v:45:y:2025:i:2:p:96-111
    DOI: 10.1002/pad.2085
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/pad.2085
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/pad.2085?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zarghami, Seyed Ashkan, 2025. "The role of economic policies in achieving sustainable development goal 7: Insights from OECD and European countries," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 377(PB).
    2. Ari-Veikko Anttiroiko, 2017. "Emulating models of good governance: learning from the developments of the world's least corrupt countries," International Journal of Public Policy, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 13(1/2), pages 21-35.
    3. Seyed Ashkan Zarghami, 2024. "The Labyrinth of Corruption in the Construction Industry: A System Dynamics Model Based on 40 Years of Research," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 195(2), pages 335-352, November.
    4. Bo Rothstein, 2014. "What is the opposite of corruption?," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(5), pages 737-752, May.
    5. Pappas, Ilias O. & Papavlasopoulou, Sofia & Mikalef, Patrick & Giannakos, Michail N., 2020. "Identifying the combinations of motivations and emotions for creating satisfied users in SNSs: An fsQCA approach," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    6. Nicole Celestine & Catherine Leighton & Chris Perryer, 2020. "A Multifocal and Integrative View of the Influencers of Ethical Attitudes Using Qualitative Configurational Analysis," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 162(1), pages 103-122, February.
    7. Frances Bowen, 2019. "Marking Their Own Homework: The Pragmatic and Moral Legitimacy of Industry Self-Regulation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 156(1), pages 257-272, April.
    8. Agnafors, Marcus, 2013. "Quality of Government: Toward a More Complex Definition," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 107(3), pages 433-445, August.
    9. Ahesha Perera, 2023. "Does one size fit all? Environmental reporting in New Zealand: the perspective of configuration theory," Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 19(5), pages 790-808, January.
    10. Santap Sanhari Mishra, 2024. "Mediating Roles of Service Innovation and Perceived Corruption in the Relationship between E-government and Citizens’ Satisfaction," International Journal of Public Administration, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(7), pages 437-451, May.
    11. Geert Demuijnck & Björn Fasterling, 2016. "The Social License to Operate," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 136(4), pages 675-685, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Antonius Setyadi & Suharno Pawirosumarto & Alana Damaris, 2025. "Rethinking Sustainable Operations: A Multi-Level Integration of Circularity, Localization, and Digital Resilience in Manufacturing Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-47, July.
    2. Luis Garrido‐Vergara & Ignacio Cienfuegos, 2025. "It's the Economy, Again! Determinants of Corruption in Public Administration: The Chilean Case (1950–2020)," Public Administration & Development, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 45(5), pages 466-484, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Adel Daoud, 2015. "Quality of Governance, Corruption and Absolute Child Poverty in India," Journal of South Asian Development, , vol. 10(2), pages 148-167, August.
    2. Haozhe Song & Gunnar Rimmel, 2025. "Debtholders' reaction to sustainability reporting regulations: International evidence," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(1), pages 88-115, January.
    3. Pishchulov, Grigory & Trautrims, Alexander & Chesney, Thomas & Gold, Stefan & Schwab, Leila, 2019. "The Voting Analytic Hierarchy Process revisited: A revised method with application to sustainable supplier selection," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 166-179.
    4. Meina Zhou & Yiqun Sun & Hao Ji, 2025. "The Impact of Financial Inclusion on Sustainable Development in China: A Panel fsQCA Analysis," SAGE Open, , vol. 15(4), pages 21582440251, December.
    5. Veronica Devenin & Constanza Bianchi, 2018. "Soccer fields? What for? Effectiveness of corporate social responsibility initiatives in the mining industry," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(5), pages 866-879, September.
    6. Dorothy Mzumara & Dr. Daniel Ndhlovu, 2021. "Availability of Anti-Corruption Mechanisms to Fight Corruption in Selected Public Institutions in Lusaka, Zambia," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 5(3), pages 526-532, March.
    7. Xing-Zheng Xie & Qiu-Ting Duan, 2025. "The role of AI face-swapping technology anxiety in negative eWOM contagion: SEM and fsQCA findings," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-15, December.
    8. Siudek, Tomasz & Zawojska, Aldona, 2014. "Quality of national governance and rural development: The case of the European Union countries," 2014 International Congress, August 26-29, 2014, Ljubljana, Slovenia 182793, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    9. Chang Hoon Oh & Jiyoung Shin & Shuna Shu Ham Ho, 2023. "Conflicts between mining companies and communities: Institutional environments and conflict resolution approaches," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(2), pages 638-656, April.
    10. Melchior, Cristiane & Warin, Thierry & Oliveira, Mirian, 2025. "An investigation of the COVID-19-related fake news sharing on Facebook using a mixed methods approach," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).
    11. Alexandra Köves & Tamás Veress & Judit Gáspár & Réka Matolay, 2021. "Conceptualizing Cuvée Organizations: Characteristics Leading towards Sustainable Decision-Making Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-24, December.
    12. Misani, Nicola, 2020. "Sustainability and Implicit Contracts," MPRA Paper 104963, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Mark Anthony Camilleri, 2022. "The rationale for ISO 14001 certification: A systematic review and a cost–benefit analysis," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(4), pages 1067-1083, July.
    14. Breakey, Hugh & Wood, Graham & Sampford, Charles, 2025. "Understanding and defining the social license to operate: Social acceptance, local values, overall moral legitimacy, and ‘moral authority’," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    15. Momi Dahan & Michel Strawczynski, 2020. "Budget institutions and government effectiveness," Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 32(2), pages 217-246, April.
    16. Radebe, Nomkhosi & Chipangamate, Nelson, 2024. "Mining industry risks, and future critical minerals and metals supply chain resilience in emerging markets," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    17. Marwa Khouya & Abdelhay Benabdelhadi, 2020. "Good Governance And Its Impact On Economic Development: A Systematic Literature Review," Post-Print hal-04063762, HAL.
    18. Marie Romuald Pouka Pouka & Viviane Ondoua Biwolé, 2024. "Does causal analysis improve the understanding of entrepreneurial support for SME performance?," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 14(1), pages 1-15, December.
    19. Eastman, Jacqueline K. & Shin, Hyunju & Jain, Varsha & Wang, Xinfang, 2024. "Determinants of positive consumer affect toward luxury brands’ social media posts on sustainability: A fsQCA approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    20. Kautonen, Teemu & Schillebeeckx, Simon J.D. & Gartner, Johannes & Hakala, Henri & Salmela-Aro, Katariina & Snellman, Kirsi, 2020. "The dark side of sustainability orientation for SME performance," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 14(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:padxxx:v:45:y:2025:i:2:p:96-111. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0271-2075 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.