Measurement in Corruption Research: Understanding its Six Biases

Presenter

Professor Andrew Delios
Department of Strategy and  Policy
NUS Business School
National University of Singapore

Abstract

Corruption is a phenomenon with a ubiquitous presence across nation-states. Studies of corruption straddle many established disciplines. Our review unpacks issues connected to the implementation of research methods, because the secretive and illegal nature of corruption activities lead to formidable challenges in research design and measurement. When research fails to account for these challenges, it leads to an empirical misalignment with concepts and theories of corruption, with biases commensurately emerging. We define, measure and track four measurement biases and two research design biases for papers published in International Business / Management and Political Economy journals in the 2000-2021 period. Our data show modest improvements in research methods, but there is still considerable opportunity to tighten research methods to match advancements made in theories of corruption. We conclude with five implications to accelerate reductions in biases in empirical research methods on corruption, that can in turn contribute to robust theory building, an improved understanding of nuances of corruption, and a better understanding of the management of corruption.

Biography

Andrew Delios is Professor and Vice-Dean MSc Programs at NUS Business School. He was Head of the Department of Strategy and Policy at NUS for eight years. His research looks at strategy, governance and global competition in emerging economies, with a particular focus on international business issues for companies operating in East and Southeast Asia. Andrew has authored more than 100 journal articles, case studies and book chapters, as well as six books. He has been an Editor for several leading journals. He became a Fellow of the Academy of International Business in 2013.  Andrew has worked and lived in Asia for 26 years, including three years in Hong Kong and two in Japan.  He has also worked in Australia, Canada, China, Finland, India, Mexico, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, Vietnam and the United States. At NUS, he has taught in numerous programs, including executive programs and the Executive MBA program in Australia, India, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

He has taught Strategy and International Business at Hong Kong Baptist University for their DBA program, for the EMBA program for the Chinese University of Hong Kong, for the EHL-CEIBS HEMBA program and for Tsinghua’s EMBA program, among others. He has done consulting and educational engagements with organizations such as DBS, OCBC and SIAEC (Singapore), BCA Bank, Bank Indonesia, Toyota, Bank Mandiri and Bank Sharia Indonesia (Indonesia), Awba Group (Myanmar), Thai Beverages and PTT (Thailand), Bank of China, and Aditya Birla (India, Thai Subsidiary).  He was an owner and director in Belgarath Investments Limited, a company that was engaged in international franchising in Asia, both as a franchisee and franchisor, with such brands as Chili’s, Subway and Sarpino’s Pizza. He is currently engaged with a start-up in the retail and property sectors in Vietnam.