Anti-corruption measures in large-scale construction projects

Abstract

Accepted by: Konstantinos Nikolopoulos Corruption is affecting many developing countries, manifested often in construction projects. This study identifies the factors causing corruption and prioritizes anti-corruption measures in large-scale urban construction projects with empirical data from a developing country: Iran. The model consists of six main dimensions including 24 measures and was developed by systematically reviewing the literature as well as collecting primary data through interviewing experts. The model prioritizes the anti-corruption measures through an integrated method of the fuzzy best-worst method and fuzzy measurement alternatives and ranking according to the compromise solution. The field of corruption has a multi-faceted nature and inherent uncertainty, which necessitates this integrated approach for its analysis. The results reveal that the 'lawlessness and deregulation in public construction projects' and 'top management and leader commitment' are the most important causes of corruption. This study offers two main contributions. First, it develops a conceptual model to evaluate and prioritize anti-corruption measures; second, it generates practical solution for reducing corruption in municipal and urban management, thus enhancing the prospects of successful construction projects in developing countries.