The big picture of corruption: Five lessons from Behavioral Economics

Abstract

The departure point of this paper is the conjecture that the search for big picture of corruption in the real world calls for new research and policy tools that draw on psychologically more realistic accounts of individual judgment and decision-making. In light with a growing literature that points to the major roles cognitive bias and social norms play in corrupt behaviors, we focus on presenting and discussing five main lessons from behavioral economics that enrichen the anti-corruption debate.