Identifying and Assessing the Root Causes, Impacts and Countermeasures of Corruption in Warzone Countries: A Case of Yemen’s Public Construction Projects

Abstract

The issue of corruption in Yemen’s construction industry receives less attention from researchers and reporters due to its sensitivity and complexity. This article aimed to uncover and assess the causes and effects of corruption in the Yemeni construction industry and propose preventive measures. A general explorative literature study was carried out to explore and identify the causes, effects and countermeasures contributing to and resulting from the spread of corruption in the country’s construction industry. Accordingly, a questionnaire survey was developed and then distributed to Yemeni construction practitioners. The participants hand to rank each factor using a five-point Likert scale. The study findings showed that the most dominant causes of corruption were political instability, economic instability, a lack of law enforcement, lobbying and a lack of transparency. The major effects of corruption were the cessation of foreign investment, project failures, disruption of social and economic development, the construction of defective and dangerous infrastructure and the offering of tenders to unqualified contractors. The study proposed some preventive measures and the ones with the highest priority, namely support of public disclosure, third-party evaluation of contractors, motivating honesty and high integrity, transparent employee recruitment and supporting freedom of the press. The finding of the current study could best serve the Ministry of Works and other legislative state departments in addressing their anti-corruption agendas and bringing forward the attention of public awareness.