학회자료.

< Abstract >

This study examines the influence of recruitment style on corruption among Nigerian public officials and how a well-paid bureaucracy (WPB) moderates this relationship. The findings reveal that merit-based recruitment, as well as political and personal connections, significantly increase corruption. WPB significantly moderates the relationship between personal and political connections and corruption, thereby strengthening the overall link between recruitment style and corrupt behavior. These results suggest that bureaucrats engage in corruption due to expectations of reciprocity rather than financial incentives, deepening our understanding of bureaucratic corruption as a social phenomenon. This highlights the importance of social relations in shaping corrupt behaviors and motives, regardless of merit-based recruitment, and underscores the significant implications for policymakers and bureaucrats in how personnel management influences corruption.

[ Key Words: corruption, merit-based recruitment, personal gain, political connections, Nigeria ]