Complete Book PDF (4.12MB) - World Bank eLibrary

240 Diagnosing Corruption in Ethiopia
In addition, to better understand the rises in costs, a small study was
undertaken of unit costs of federal roads managed by the Ethiopian Roads
Authority (ERA), where Chinese contractors dominate the market, and
rural roads (managed by regional road authorities [RRAs]) where the
emerging institutional arrangements and related procedures remain relatively
weak. In both cases, a lack of effective competition appears to be a
significant factor contributing to increasing costs.
A participative approach allowed stakeholders to express their views
freely while contributing to the development of practical solutions. This
was achieved through a combination of confidential surveys, face-to-face
structured interviews, group meetings, and workshops, complemented
where necessary by a Web-based review of secondary sources.
To encourage open participation and stimulate constructive dialogue,
it was made clear to all those consulted that the study had no investigative
purpose and was not looking for attributable evidence of corruption.
Rather, the focus was on identifying and understanding generic examples
and perceptions of corruption that could be used eventually to help formulate
appropriate policy responses. A key component of the strategy
adopted for the study was to harness the evident desire on the part of
most stakeholders to reduce both the practice and the risk of corruption
within the sector.
An opportunistic approach was taken to the identification of and
approach to stakeholders. Initial consultations with consultants (both
international and domestic), donors (both bilateral and multilateral), and
government officials (at the federal level) provided an opportunity to
test a draft questionnaire and identify additional stakeholders. These
included government officials and representatives of civil society organizations,
domestic contractors, consulting engineers, and architects.
Although detailed feedback was received from 50 stakeholders, the
sample was skewed toward those working in the road sector: many of
these had experience of the relatively high-spending ERA, though some
also had experience or knowledge of other parts of the construction sector,
including buildings.
A specific feature of the approach adopted in this study was to
ensure that the issue of corruption was genuinely looked at from the
perspective of all the main stakeholder groups. Each of these groups has
different priorities and different underlying motives determining behavior.
The lack of success of many past anticorruption initiatives championed
by specific stakeholders—whether donors, governments, civil
society, or construction sector professionals—has demonstrated that