No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeCrimeCorruptionPerceived corruption actually corrupts, says development bank survey

Perceived corruption actually corrupts, says development bank survey

The perception of corruption leads to actual corruption, according to a Costa Rica-based survey from the Inter-American Development Bank.

The survey found a “statistically significant” increase in respondents’ willingness to bribe a police officer after they were told that corruption was on the rise in Costa Rica. The survey, conducted by Borges y Asociados, collected responses from 4,200 adults living in the Greater Metropolitan Area, covering San José, Alajuela, Cartago and Heredia.

The study supports the notion that corruption is a “self-fulfilling prophesy,” where someone’s willingness to engage in corruption depends on their perception of corruption in society.

In this case, respondents were asked how willing they would be to bribe a police officer to avoid punishment. One group was told that corruption was on the rise or given a flier pointing out judicial inefficiency in Costa Rica while the other did not receive any additional information. Respondents were 28 percent more likely to bribe the police officer after being told the country was more corrupt than the control group.

The IDB’s survey doesn’t necessarily say something about how corrupt Costa Rica is but rather how participants responded to the perception of corruption. According to Transparency International, an organization that tracks corruption globally, Costa Rica was perceived as the least corrupt country in Central America in 2014.

Costa Rica scored 54 on a scale of zero to 100, with zero being the most corrupt and 100 representing the cleanest. The non-militaristic country tied for 47th place worldwide this year, along with Hungary and the African island nation of Mauritius. Chile and Uruguay, which both scored 73, were the least corrupt in Latin America.

See a map of the latest TI results below:

Trending Now

Panama Removed from EU High-Risk List, but Tax Haven Status Remains

The film The Laundromat, starring Meryl Streep, damaged Panama's reputation by drawing inspiration from a real-life story: the global scandal that erupted a decade...

A Closer Look at the Elusive Purple Gallinule in Costa Rica

Quick! Think of a purple bird! It’s a little difficult, right? I searched my brain and came up with a purple martin. A small...

Costa Rican Lottery Official Investigated in Money Laundering Case

Another money laundering case has shaken Costa Rica. Following a series of raids that dismantled a laundering network operating through legal and illegal lottery...

Costa Rica Reports Surge in Human Trafficking Cases

The General Directorate of Immigration (DGME) has reported 36 confirmed victims of human trafficking for commercial or sexual purposes in Costa Rica during the...

Algal Bloom Detected in Costa Rica’s Gulf of Nicoya

A noticeable change in watercolor has been reported across several zones of the Gulf of Nicoya and coastal areas adjacent to the Nicoya Peninsula....

Salvadoran Lawyers Fight for Rights of Trump-Deported Migrants in Secretive Prison

A small group of overstretched and outmatched lawyers is fighting for the rights of men deported by the Trump administration and held in a...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica