Abstract
The relation between academic integrity and real world corruption is more often presumed than proven. Based on a sample of 7,602 students from 21 countries, it was found that academic cheating in the past is a predictor of the countries’ current level of corruption. This reproducibility and persistence over time of dishonest behaviors highlights the danger of disregarding students cheating at university.
Notes
Corruption might be defined as the use of public office for private gain (Rose-Ackerman 1978). Corruption is thus one aspect of governance which also relates to matters of transparency, accountability, political stability, social order, the rule of law and the like. These factors are likely to be interdependent (Blackburn 2012).
In Teixeira and Rocha (2010), further details on the procedure for data gathering and description of the responses is provided.
It is important to underline that the issue of reverse causality was not demonstrated by the estimations (the coefficient of corruption failed to be statistical significant). Thus, the possibility that past real world corruption impacts on academic cheating did not emerged from the data.
References
Acemoglu, D., & Johnson, S. (2005). Unbundling institutions. Journal of Political Economy, 113(5), 949–995.
Basu, K. (2010). The moral basis of prosperity and oppression: altruism, other-regarding behaviour and identity. Economics and Philosophy, 26, 189–216.
Bennis, W., O’Toole, J. (2005). “How business schools lost their way”, Harvard Business Review, 83(5): 96–104 + 154.
Bertocchi, G., & Guerzoni, A. (2012). Growth, history, or institutions: What explains state fragility in sub-Saharan Africa? Journal of Peace Research, 49(6), 769–783.
Billsberry, J., & Birnik, A. (2010). Management as a contextual practice: the need to blend science, skills and practical wisdom. Organization Management Journal, 7, 171–178.
Blackburn, K. (2012). Corruption and development: explaining the evidence. The Manchester School, 80(4), 401–428.
Caiden, E. G., Dwivedi, P. O., Jabbra, J. (2001). Where Corruption Lives, Kumarian Press, Bloomfield, Ct.
Goel, R. K., & Ram, R. (2013). Economic uncertainty and corruption: Evidence from a large cross-country data set. Applied Economics, 45(24), 3462–3468.
Grimes, P. (2004). Dishonesty in academics and business: a cross-cultural evaluation of student attitudes. Journal of Business Ethics, 49, 273–290.
Hamir, M. A. (1999). Keynote Address. In K. Frimpong & G. Jacques (Eds.), Corruption, Democracy and Good Governance in Africa: Essays on Accountability and Ethical Behaviour (pp. 1–8). Gaborone: Lentswe La Lesedi.
Hernandez, S. (2004). “Combating Corruption in Argentina”, in http://www.elauditor.info/files/50a6dd3b5f869.pdf. Accessed on July 2013.
IAP - Independent Advocacy Project (2006). “Corruption is Nigeria’s Major Problem”, in http://www.ind-advocacy-project.org/Press%20Statements.htm.
Johnson, N. D., La Fountain, C. L., & Yamarik, S. (2011). Corruption is bad for growth (even in the United States). Public Choice, 147, 377–393.
Klitgaard, R. (1994). A framework for a country programme against corruption. In F. Galtung (Ed.), Accountability and transparency in international development: The launching of transparency international (pp. 55–73). Berlin: Laserline GmbH.
Lambsdorff, J. G. (2006). Causes and consequences of corruption: what do we know from a cross-section of countries? In S. Rose-Ackerman (Ed.), International Handbook of the Economics of Corruption (pp 3–51). Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.
Lawson, R. (2004). “Is classroom cheating related to business students’ propensity to cheat in the “real world”? Journal of Business Ethics, 49, 189–199.
Lovett-Hooper, G., Komarraju, M., Weston, R., & Dollinger, S. J. (2007). Is plagiarism a forerunner of other deviance? Imagined futures of academically dishonest students. Ethics & Behavior, 17(3), 323–336.
Mackness, J. (2010). “Are business schools to blame for the financial crisis?”, Business Ethics: The Magazine of Corporate Responsibility, May 7, 2010, in http://business-ethics.com/2010/05/07/1146-are-business-schools-to-balme-for-the-financial-crisis/, accessed on 26 July 2012.
McCabe, D. L., & Trevino, L. K. (1996). What we know about cheating in college. Change, 29–33.
Mijiyawa, A. G. (2013). Determinants of property rights institutions: survey of literature and new evidence. Economics of Governance, 14(2), 127–183.
Nowell, C., & Laufer, D. (1997). Undergraduate student cheating in the fields of business and economics. The Journal of Economic Education, 28, 3–12.
Poff, D. (2007). Duties owed in serving students: the importance of teaching moral reasoning and theories of ethical leadership in educating business students. Journal of Academic Ethics, 5, 25–31.
Poff, D. (2010). Ethical leadership and global citizenship: considerations for a just and sustainable future. Journal of Business Ethics, 93, 9–14.
Premeaux, S. R. (2005). Undergraduate student perceptions regarding cheating: tier 1 versus tier 2 AACSB accredited business schools. Journal of Business Ethics, 62, 407–418.
Rose-Ackerman, S. (1978). Corruption: A study in political economy. New York: Academic.
Rubinstein, A. (2006). A sceptic’s comment on the study of economics. The Economic Journal, 116(March), C1–C9.
Tanzi V., Davoodi, H. (1998). “Roads to nowhere: How corruption in public investment hurts growth”, in Transparency International and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (ed.), New Perspectives on Combating Corruption, Transparency International and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Washington, pp. 33–42.
Teixeira, A. A. C., & Rocha, M. F. (2010). Cheating by economics and business undergraduate students: an exploratory international assessment. Higher Education, 59(6), 663–701.
TI (2012). Corruption Perception Index 2011. Berlin, Germany: Transparency International.
Uprety, H. (2000). Chaos and complexity of corruption. In R. Khanal (Ed.), Transparency and accountability against corruption in Nepal (pp. 27–37). Kathmandu: Modern Printing Press.
Wright, R. P., Paroutis, S. P., & Blettner, D. P. (2013). How useful are the strategic tools we teach in business schools? Journal of Management Studies, 50(1), 92–124.
Acknowledgments
I’ll like to thank one anonymous reviewer for her/his valuable comments. I’m sincerely in debt to all the students who participated in the survey, and my fellow colleagues (from the schools located in the 21 countries) who generously made this research possible.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Teixeira, A.A.C. Sanding the Wheels of Growth: Cheating by Economics and Business Students and ‘Real World’ Corruption. J Acad Ethics 11, 269–274 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-013-9192-9
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-013-9192-9