Complete Book PDF (4.12MB) - World Bank eLibrary

14 Diagnosing Corruption in Ethiopia
This profile flattens, however, and levels at a much higher risk for the
telecommunications sector as well as the HIV/AIDS and pharmaceuticals
health care subsectors, indicating that in these “new investment sectors,”
the opportunity for and risk of corruption is seized at all stages in the
sector investment and service delivery value chain.
An Overarching Concern:
A specific finding that spans a number of sectors points toward widely
held concerns about members of the ruling political party. Survey
respondents in the following sectors cited particular examples:
• In the education sector, there were widespread perceptions that a rulingparty
affiliation resulted in the lack of fairness, most notably in the
selection of teachers for employment and in selection and grading of
students.
• In the justice sector, there is a perception of an increasing tendency to
select the judiciary from party members, sometimes resulting in moreable
candidates being passed over in a professional culture marked by
an eagerness to please those in government.
• In the construction sector, there is a perception that favoritism determines
market entry, exacerbated by a further perception that topdown
planning processes and the government’s dual role as both
client and regulator also results in hidden party influence. As a result,
many feel that the construction industry lacks genuine competition in
some areas.
• In the water sector, there is a perception that state-owned drilling companies
benefit from favoritism, in part resulting from the relatively high
entry barriers that seem to exist for private drilling concerns.
Although the sector studies acknowledge the initiatives to reduce this
apparent favoritism—some also making specific recommendations toward
this end—it is nevertheless noteworthy that this issue appears to be an
overarching concern.
It would seem remiss in a country-specific publication to ignore the
issue of culture in corruption. Ethiopia is a country steeped in custom
and cultural norms. A devout, mainly religious people (both Christian
Orthodox and Muslim), Ethiopians live with an overwhelming sense
of honor and pride. In most regions, but not all, corruption is not
acceptable culturally, is not considered to be “the way things are,” and
does not typify the way that most people expect to obtain services.