Abstract

The study is an analysis of public participation in combating corruption in public sector in Malawi focusing at Mchinji District Council. Specifically, the study aims at assessing the extent to which and how public participate in combating corruption in public institutions. The study is significant because public participation is critical in combating corruption and as such there is need for deeper analysis on how public participate in the fight against corruption. The study used qualitative research design using analysis of documents, key informant interviews and Focus Group Discussions to obtain information. Malawi is one of the countries in Sub-Saharan Africa that has been severely affected by corruption. The study established that the level of public participation in fighting corruption is low as indicated by majority of the respondents due to a number of factors which among others include financial constraints, loss of trust on authorities and institutional failures. The study revealed that greed, lack of punitive measures, lack of awareness of corruption issues, discretionary powers without accountability and low salaries are the major causes of corruption at Mchinji District Council. It also found out that lack of reporting mechanisms, lack of knowledge of corruption issues, failure by authorities to take action, harassment of whistle-blowers by suspected offenders, lack of whistle-blower protection mechanisms and financial constraints are the most common factors that prevent public participation in fighting corruption. The study further proposes further research in private sector to have a complete analysis of public participation in combating corruption in both public and private institutions.

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School	: School of Law, Economics and Government
Issued Date	: 2021

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