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Corruption and culture: An Experimental Analysis Barr Abigail, CSAE and Department of Economics, University of Oxford Danila Serra, CSAE and Department of Economics, University of Oxford Download the Paper (PDF format) - October 24, 2008 Tell a colleague about it. Printing Tips: Select 'print as image' in the Acrobat print dialog if you have trouble printing. ABSTRACT: Why do some people choose corruption over honesty and others not? Do the social norms and values prevailing in the societies in which they grew up affect their decisions? In 2005, we conducted a bribery experiment and found that, among undergraduates, we could predict who would act corruptly with reference to the level of corruption in their home country. Among graduates we could not. In 2007, we replicated our result. We conclude that individuals' propensities to act corruptly may reflect the cultures in which they grew up. However, certain types of individuals may not conform to their cultures and could, therefore, act as agents for change. SUGGESTED CITATION: Barr Abigail and Danila Serra, "Corruption and culture: An Experimental Analysis" (October 24, 2008). The Centre for the Study of African Economies Working Paper Series. Working Paper 303. http://www.bepress.com/csae/paper303