An Examination of the Key Institutional Drivers of Corruption in Higher Education Institutions

: What are the institutional drivers of corruption in higher education institutions? What strategies might be the most effective in addressing this issue?

Abstract

As universities adopt more corporate and profit-driven models, corruption in higher education has become increasingly prevalent. Corruption in higher education institutions ranges from the gross misappropriation of funds to the admission of students who do not meet the proper entry requirements. Certainly, corruption manifests in many forms across these institutions. However, this phenomenon has not received sufficient scholarly attention, leading to significant knowledge gaps. This thesis attempts to address these gaps by examining corruption in higher education institutions worldwide through the lens of the institutional factors that drive it. While recognising the role of individual agency, this study focuses on the structural and contextual factors that facilitate corruption in higher education institutions. Accordingly, the main research questions are: What are the institutional drivers of corruption in higher education institutions? What strategies might be the most effective in addressing this issue? To explore these questions, the thesis adopts a neo-institutional theoretical framework and employs a mixed-methods approach to identify and examine the key drivers of corruption in higher education institutions.

Date of Award	24 Jun 2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	International Centre for Higher Education Management (ICHEM)
Supervisor	Steve Brammer (Supervisor), Ronald Barnett (Supervisor), Hong Bui (Supervisor) & Robin Shields (Supervisor)