Regulation, Trust, and Cronyism in Middle Eastern Societies: The Simple Economics of 'Wasta'

Informal interorganizational business relationships and customer loyalty: Comparing Guanxi, Yongo, and Wasta

“…However, it has an obvious dark side, to those accustomed to merit-based transactions or "equal opportunity" (Barnett, Yandel, & Naufal, 2013), for example when an influential person intervenes to help someone get a job rather than those who are the most qualified (Cunningham & Sarayrah, 1994;Mohamed &Mohamed, 2011). Thus, wasta has been viewed as a source of nepotism, cronyism and corruption (Barnett et al, 2013).…”

Daughters of Men

“…Another risk is if the case caught the community's attention, women feared the scandal and being accused of going against the family unit, resulting in bringing shame to the family's reputation. Further, our participants discussed how the abuser might turn against the woman by using Wasta-"loosely translates into nepotism, 'clout' or 'who you know'" [28]-, meaning leveraging personal connections to have the case withdrawn, most likely resulting in abuse amplification. Participants also commented on the subjectivity of the Saudi judicial system and how rulings are often influenced by cultural norms of victim-blaming, sexism, or religious beliefs used to deter women from asking for a divorce(e.g., using a weak hadeeth: "Of all the lawful acts the most detestable to Allah is divorce" to support their ruling against divorce).…”

“…Bedouin. Retrieved from https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Bedouin 9 "loosely translates into nepotism, 'clout' or 'who you know'"[28] J. ACM, Vol. 37, No.…”

The Impact of Founders on Information Asymmetry Vis-À-Vis outside Investors: Evidence from Caribbean Offshore Tax Havens

“…Such relational contracting can also be thought of as an institutional "bridge" between atomistic market transactions and those necessitating a more formal organizational structure. The norms and values shaping permissible behaviours within relational contracting are contingent on historical definitions of extended family (Barnett et al, 2013;Bhappu, 2000;Todd, 1985), which are reflected in vertical dimensions of subordination to patriarchal authority, and horizontal dimensions associated with mutual reciprocity (Berger et al, 2015). The norms and values underpin the central emphasis within relational contracting on the social status of the individual participant in the transaction.…”