Fighting corruption in Nigeria – stop it before it starts
The two approaches regarding corruption are either prevention or enforcement and the hope always is that prevention can slow most people down so that there is less need for enforcement. The MacArthur Foundation program in Nigeria is providing some novel approaches to the prevention fight against corruption. During my time in Afghanistan, we worked with CSOs to include some thinking about the uses of behavioral change in corruption concepts. Unfortunately, due to the Taliban takeover, we were not able to see whether these ideas were sustainable. The group, On Nigeria, in Nigeria, seems to have had some results and continues to move forward and “[n]early nine years later, On Nigeria behavior and norm change grantees have produced a wealth of knowledge, tools, resources, and content. We know much more today about the beliefs that either drive, enable, deter, or prevent corrupt acts in Nigeria, and local expertise in behavioral science has advanced over the past decade.” They have included information regarding this programming and the work with CSOs, which has been a long term approach which is very heartening.
Why is this important? There are several reasons, and the key element is that this works should be publicized widely and therefore should be used as building blocks for other programming. For a start, the long term aspect of the work helped develop and shape the approach to anti-corruption in Nigeria. Lessons learned as well as ongoing positive results can help shape additional programming in both Nigeria and in other countries. Anti-corruption behaviors are usually more context specific, but certain types of behaviors are worldwide and can be used in other environments. The other important result are the different approaches, using different CSOs, which allows a varied approach to implementation, as well as an openness to share the approaches and results. We hope that this really can be brought to international forums to highlight the most positive elements of such anti-corruption prevention actions and activities.
Link:
https://www.macfound.org/press/perspectives/stopping-corruption-before-it-starts