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262 Diagnosing Corruption in Ethiopia
• Ambivalent attitudes toward corruption. Partly because of an ethical bias
in society, and partly because of the fear of being caught, there is a
strong sense in Ethiopia of not wanting to appear corrupt. Yet there also
appears to be an underlying resignation to, bordering on admiration for,
the possibility of the abuse of power. This is expressed in the Amharic
saying “Sishom Yalbela Sishar Ykochewal” (literally “in power, not eat;
out of power, regret”), which suggests that someone who does not
engage in corrupt practices when in a position of power will regret it
when he or she no longer has that power.
Overview of Current Perceived Corruption in the Value Chain
Table 6.7 below summarizes the perceived levels of corruption within
the value chain. Given the high risk factors, it is surprising that perceived
corruption levels are not reported as being higher. The low
reported levels may be the result of methodological bias in that
Ethiopians are reluctant to make foreigners aware of their country’s
shortcomings. However, any such reluctance did not keep stakeholders
from volunteering many specific examples of corruption or from indicating
their perception that the dominant role of the government and
ruling party may lie behind the apparent lack of genuine competition
in some parts of the sector.
The most notable feature of this analysis is the perceived lack of competition
in the sector. This issue is considered in more detail in the
“Perceived Lack of Effective Competition” section below.
Balance of Risk
In terms of the balance of risk, the overview presented above suggests
that most Ethiopians working in the construction sector have a strong
aversion—based both on ethical considerations and on the high risks
associated with being caught—to engaging in overtly corrupt practices.
This aversion is less pronounced when it comes to less overt bending or
manipulation of the rules. Yet there is also a widespread assumption—
verging on acceptance—that for some favored people or companies
working in the sector, the potential rewards are so high, and the likely
risks so low, that they can engage with impunity in thinly disguised
corrupt practices.
Interventionist Policies
Compared with many other developing countries, Ethiopia is unusual in
the interventionist policies that are currently adopted in the construction