Hidden in plain sight: Perceptions and experiences of corruption in New South Wales local government

Abstract

This thesis explores the relationship between perceptions and experiences of corruption within local government entities (councils) in New South Wales (NSW) from a social policy perspective. The literature on corruption and anti-corruption has evolved exponentially in the past three decades, with much focus on how to define, measure and regulate this complex phenomenon. Yet, limited attention has been paid to corruption within the administration of local government, where day-to-day services affect the lives of all residents within Australia's most populous state. The thesis shows how local council practices, cultures and structures impact on the visibility and subsequent management of corruption in its different guises. While some forms of corruption are outwardly visible, others take place in plain sight, but are very much hidden.

This research took the form of a mixed methods study undertaken between 2015 and 2016. Through synthesisation of data gleaned from an attitudinal survey completed by frontline workers across ten different council entities in NSW, and from semi-structured interviews held with a small sample of individuals who have experience and expertise in governing corruption, the research identified divergences between perceptions and experiences of, and regulatory responses to, corruption. It highlighted the ambivalent outcomes of corruption management strategies, both in terms of their comparative successes and unintended consequences. The research identified that the discourse of corruption is largely informed and mediated by external influencers, such as the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and tabloid media, the former focusing on the investigation and exposure of high-profile matters, and the latter representing such examples in sensationalised ways. This has created something of a disconnect between how corruption is popularly understood (in terms of what it is and is not) and how it is then situationally encountered and interpreted in the workplace. When first-hand experiences of corrupt practices were explored with participants, it was revealed that certain lower threshold practices (termed as 'mundane corruption') have been frequently observed. Such practices have become institutionalised as normal, in spite of the different modes of regulatory management that are deemed to be effective, and a broad view that the level of corruption in local government is low. Many suspicions of corruption have not been raised or pursued. Of those that have, many have been met with an inadequate or unconvincing response, attributed to the organisational architecture and culture, and perceptions that certain corrupt practices must breach a given threshold of severity to be reportable and then actioned.

Overall, this thesis makes a significant contribution to corruption studies by showing how popular, if reductionist, frameworks of corruption, shaped by key institutions in society, mediate everyday perceptions, understandings and practices of corruption. These frameworks can, and do, affect the prevention and management of this complex social activity.

A more holistic approach to understanding organisational corruption is recommended across the domains of research, education, regulation and policy, so that optimal strategies of prevention and management can be co-designed and co-delivered.