Corrupt Practices in the Construction Industry: Survey of Ghanaian Experience

Abstract

Globally, corruption presents a major risk that reduces construction project performance by inflating costs and reducing the quality of infrastructure commissioned. In developing countries, corruption 8 stifles economic development and engenders social inequality. This paper uncovers the prevalence and 9 forms of corrupt practices within the developing country of Ghana using a structured questionnaire survey to elicit direct knowledge and lived experiences of construction practitioners. Research findings illustrate that habitual corruption and unethical behaviour prevails amongst public officials, contractors and construction professionals during the bid evaluation, tendering and contract implementation stages 13 of a construction contract. This research proffers that corruption is driven by a toxic concoction of high political connections, excessive and reckless sole sourcing of public construction projects, lack of commitment by construction companies to address corruption and the inherently idiosyncratic operational environment of the construction sector. The top-five forms of corruption frequently

A comparison of prevalence of unethical tendering practices at national and subnational levels in Nigeria

“…Of the three biggest economies in Africa, namely, Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa, Nigeria is the most corrupt. Nigeria is also more corrupt than neighbouring Ghana where Ameyaw et al (2017) and Bowen et al (2007a), respectively, found evidences of widespread corruption (see Figures 1 and 2). Whereas corruption in the country is not confined to any particular industry, studies have shown Nigeria has recently renewed efforts towards stamping out corruption in every area of its national life.…”

“…Most previous studies identified unethical practices in the construction industry, without being solely specific to the tendering stage of procurement (Adnan et al 2012;Ameyaw et al 2017;Le et al 2014;Shan et al 2016;Vee & Skitmore 2003). Ray et al (1999), who focused solely on the tendering stage of procurement, concentrated on ascertaining the extent to which the principles enshrined in the Interim Australian Standard Code of Tendering were accepted and applied in the Australian construction industry.…”

Assessing Procurement Irregularities in the Supply-Chain of Ghanaian Construction Projects: A Soft-Computing Approach

“…The sample size was relatively small, yet it is deemed adequate, compared with other empirical corruption-related studies in construction management. As evidence, Vee and Skitmore (2003), Ameyaw et al (2017) and Brown and Loosemore (2015) conducted studies with sample sizes of 31, 35 and 23, respectively.…”

“…The identified procurement irregularities -the 18-list indicators -were captured in a questionnaire survey. The use of questionnaires as the main data instrument for this study was justified, given that this method offers a valid and reliable source of information quickly, with minimal resources required (Ameyaw et al, 2017). The survey was used, as this method warrants anonymity, and maintains the anonymity of potential respondents, being of outmost importance in conducting research on a sensitive topicrelated to corruption (Hoxley, 2008;Ameyaw et al, 2017).…”

“…The expert survey technique was employed in this study based on its advantages: 1) it facilitates the solicitation of rich information and reliable data from a preferred source; 2) it is time-efficient as compared to other alternatives; 3) it facilitate the distribution of questionnaires, where experts can recommend other professional colleagues with the same expertise (Ameyaw et al, 2017;Owusu et al, 2017). A non-probabilistic sampling method, namely, purposive sampling technique was used.…”