The temptation of the dark side: why women bribe differently than men
Researchers have repeatedly argued that women engage less in corruption and bribery than men because they are more risk-averse. I argue that female risk-aversion can be offset by sufficiently high benefits from bribery and propose that these benefits vary depending on the area of government services...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Political Research Exchange |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/2474736X.2025.2513320 |
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| Summary: | Researchers have repeatedly argued that women engage less in corruption and bribery than men because they are more risk-averse. I argue that female risk-aversion can be offset by sufficiently high benefits from bribery and propose that these benefits vary depending on the area of government services. Previous authors have argued how the gender-interest mechanism prevents women from engaging in grand corruption and how female representation improves government service provision in Europe. Looking through a different lens, I provide a systematic micro-level argument for how the gender-interest mechanism can stimulate petty corruption. Using Afrobarometer data (2011–2013, 2014–2015, 34–36 countries), I find that women are less frequently involved in bribery than men in relation to general government services but equally involved in the health and education sector. |
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| ISSN: | 2474-736X |