Fighting Academic Corruption in Eastern European Universities:
Recent Initiatives Led by Student Organizations and NGOs
Daniel Teodorescu
Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
Tudorel Andrei
Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania
Dauphine University, Paris, France
Definition
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“the systematic use of public office for private
benefit whose impact is significant on access,
quality and equity in education”
(Hallak and Poisson)
Many different forms:
bribery, bypassing criteria, malpractice,
misconduct, academic fraud, plagiarism,
favouritism, as well as corruption in procurement,
financial mismanagement, embezzlement,
extortion, lack of transparency.
C = M+D-A
Corruption equals monopoly plus discretion
minus accountability.
If a system gives a government official monopoly power
over a good or service and the discretion to decide how
much a particular client receives, yet the official is not
held accountable, then the system will be prone to
extortion or bribery.
Consequences
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deficiencies in the quality of experts and the labour force
could jeopardize the development of a country.
if students are taught in a system that accepts corrupt
behaviour as a social standard, it can be expected that
they will continue to behave in a similar manner later in
their lives.
the quality of the higher education sector will continue to
be mediocre, and rates of return to a college degree will
continue to decline.
undermines employers’ and the general public’s trust in
the country’s colleges and universities.
Incidence of Corruption in HE
Source: Heyneman, S. P., Anderson, K. H., & Nuraliyev, N. (2008). The cost of
corruption in higher education. Comparative Education Review, 52, 1–25.
Incidence of Corruption in HE
Incidence of corruption in Romania (public universities in Bucharest)
% students who have
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(a) Copying a colleague’s exam or using
other illicit means during the examination
witnessed this behavior
84.5
(b) Direct approach or through an intermediary
of the examining professor to obtain a
passing grade or a higher grade in the exam
36.7
(c) Hiring the instructor who teaches the class
as a private tutor
18.2
(d) Copying paragraphs from books, scientific
works or the Internet in written assignments
65.7
(e) Copying written assignments from colleagues
58.7
Source: Teodorescu, D. and Andrei T. (2008). An Examination of Students’ Propensity to
Cheat: The Importance of Peers and Faculty Influences. Presented at the 48th AIR Forum,
Seattle, May 24th-28th.
Perceptions about Cheating
Source: Heyneman, S. P., Anderson, K. H., & Nuraliyev, N. (2008). The cost of
corruption in higher education. Comparative Education Review, 52, 1–25.
Perceptions about Cheating in
Romania (public univ in Bucharest)
% of students
Would try to copy exam from a colleague if there
was no other way to pass an exam
40.3
Would try to copy from cribs and others sources
if there was no other way to pass an exam
32.5
Would report a colleague who offers money/gifts
to faculty in exchange for a passing or higher grade
9.7
Would report a professor who asks for or accepts
money in exchange of a passing grade on exams
23.9
Would report a colleague who copies my work
during exam
4.0
Would report a colleague who pays others to
complete the senior thesis project or other individual projects
6.0
Would report a professor who plagiarizes entire paragraphs
in his/her textbooks or publications
19.5
Source: Teodorescu, D. and Andrei T. (2008). An Examination of Students’
Propensity to Cheat: The Importance of Peers and Faculty Influences.
th
Causes of corruption
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Privatization of HE
Massification of HE
Increased attention and more criticism from the mass
media
Declining salaries
Cost of Corruption
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Economic rates of return to public investment in education
would have to be reduced from between 2 and 15% as a
result of the sacrifice in quality due to academic
corruption.
Source: Heyneman, S. P., Anderson, K. H., & Nuraliyev, N. (2008). The
cost of corruption in higher education. Comparative Education Review, 52,
1–25.
Roots of anti-corruption movements
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By and large, anticorruption measures have been initiated
from outside the system, rather from inside.
The reason is that those at the top have a stake in
sustaining the status quo because they are part of the
corrupt system themselves and greatly benefit from it.
The Role of NGOs
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Analysis of corruption
Public education
Engaging the media in investigative reporting
Pilot initiatives to create lasting anti-corruption structures
and instruments
Facilitating a broader cooperation in counteracting
corruption
Acquiring information about
corruption
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The first step in any effective anti-corruption intervention
Almost never initiated by colleges/universities or
ministries
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Examples:
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-The Anti-Corruption Student Network (ACSN) in
Southeastern Europe
-the Coalition for Clean Universities (CUC) in Romania
-Coalition 2000 in Bulgaria
-Transparency International surveys in Bosnia and
Herzegovina
2) Developing anti-corruption
education
In Bulgaria:
Coalition 2000 sponsored the creation of a specialized
anticorruption portal: Anticorruption Education. In 2004
the group also published a brochure called Anticorruption
Notebook and distributed it to students. The brochure
gives practical advices to students on how to deal with
corruption practices at the universities if they encounter
them in their academic life.
It also introduced anticorruption classes in the official
curricula of the Bulgarian secondary schools in the fall of
2004.
2) Developing anti-corruption
education
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In Romania:
-A campaign against nepotism was sustained by several
newspapers and a web site was created to mediate this
initiative (www.nepotism.org)
-The Romanian Academic Forum (FAR, Forumul Academic
Roman www.forum-academic.com) prepared in 2004 a
study entitled “Proposal for the reform of the Romanian
higher education system.”
2) Developing anti-corruption
education
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In Lithuania
The Modern Didactics Center created:
optional anti-corruption programme for secondary
schools,
programmes and courses for anti-corruption
education at universities,
in-service training programme of anti-corruption
education for teachers’ professional improvement
development of a team of trainers responsible for the
dissemination of the findings
3) Engaging the media in investigative
reporting
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The International Research Exchange (IREX) is a good
example of an international NGO that involves heavily the
local media in the fight against corruption.
IREX has supported investigative TV news programming in
Albania and Bulgaria that uncovers corrupt practices in
government and business. IREX supports local TV
broadcasters and news teams to produce television series
such as the Bulgarian program NaChisto and the Albanian
program Hapur.
Modeled loosely on American investigative news show
formats, episodes probe cases of corruption, aiming to
reduce corruption through public exposure and
professional journalism.
The Role of Student Organizations
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Along with NGOs, student organizations have been a
major force of change in the fight against corruption
throughout the former Soviet bloc.
If NGOs tend to have more input at the initial stage of an
anti-corruption movement (data collection and
dissemination of information), the main contribution of
student organizations comes at the second stage:
organization of anti-corruption campaigns.
Examples of student-led campaigns
In Romania:
In 2006 the student organizations in Iasi established in a
local structure that mirrors the National Anti-Corruption
Division.
Established primarily to eliminate corruption in the
allocation of student housing and grading of exams.
Monitoring structure that includes local committees and a
central committee.
In every major city, there will be an ombudsman office
where students and professors can report corruption
cases. The National Student Union in Romania (UNSR) will
release to the public all cases that have been verified as
valid complaints.
Examples of student-led campaigns
In Moldova:
There already is a strong tradition of anti-corruption
campaigns.
Organized by the national student organization (the
Alliance of Students in Moldova) and supported by the
Ministry of Education.
Brought students and faculty together to discuss cases of
corruption and ways to improve academic integrity.
Examples of student-led campaigns
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In Bulgaria
Coalition 2000 in Bulgaria sponsored the student initiative
(“I Do Not Bribe.” ) organized by the National Youth
Organization for Social and Economic Development in
three universities: Plovdiv University Paisii Hilendarski,
Gabrovo Technical University and New Bulgarian
University.
Project activities included specialized on-line surveys on
corruption topics which aimed at investigating the
students’ opinions regarding the existence of corruption
practices at the Bulgarian universities.
Survey results were presented at round tables at the
three target universities and discussed with students and
professors.
What can governments and HE
institutions do?
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The civil society is a necessary element in the fight
against corruption, but not sufficient in itself. To be
effective in the fight against corruption, NGOs and student
organizations need to work in association with
governments and institutions of higher education.
The key ingredients to any successful anti-corruption
initiatives are commitments and alliances.
Compared to the civil society’s anti-corruption initiatives,
governmental response has been relatively weak and slow
in most countries throughout the region.
Expected roles in a collaborative
approach
NGOs
Student
Organizations
Higher Education
Institutions
Training student
organizations
Organizing anticorruption
campaigns and
protests
Establishing
professional ethics
codes for
university faculty
and administrators
Developing anticorruption public
education programs
Involving media in
investigative
reporting
Strengthening and
empowering
student
governments
Involving media in
investigative
reporting
Designing honor
codes
Improving the
management of
traditional exams
Systematic data
collection
Disseminating and
publishing
information
Lobbying for
change
Organizing public
debates
Establishing
channels for
complaints and
reporting
Ministry
Creating a
transparent
accreditation system
Designing
standardized
national
examinations
Supporting student
anticorruption
movements
Moving licensure
exams in the
professions (law,
medicine) outside
the universities
Stages of an Anti-Corruption Movement
STAGE I: Infancy (Self awareness)
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MAIN ACTORS: International and local NGOs, media
ACTIONS:
International donors and NGOs work with local NGOs to begin
assessing incidence and perceptions of corruption
NGOs and media publicize results to the public and initiate
discussions with the ministry and higher education institutions
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IMPACT :
Changes in perceptions
SCOPE of IMPACT:
Selected Institutions
Stages of an Anti-Corruption
Movement
STAGE II: Adolescence (Public Education)
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MAIN ACTORS: International and local NGOs, media, student
organizations, professors
ACTIONS:
Student groups organize local anti-corruption campaigns
Academics and students put in place structures for reporting
corruption cases
NGOs set up public education programs and support investigative
reporting
IMPACT :
Changes in perceptions
SCOPE of IMPACT:
Selected Institutions
Stages of an Anti-Corruption
Movement
STAGE III: Early Maturity(Legislative reforms)
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MAIN ACTORS: Ministry of Education, Higher Education
Institutions
ACTIONS:
Colleges and universities institute honor codes
Institution-based admissions exams are replaced by national
standardized exams
Certification and licensing in the professions is separated from
HE institutions
IMPACT :
Changes in behaviors
SCOPE of IMPACT:
All institutions
Stages of an Anti-Corruption
Movement
STAGE IV: Late Maturity(Implementation of reforms)
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MAIN ACTORS: Higher Education Institutions, Judiciary System
ACTIONS:
Students regularly report cases of corruption
Institutions punish faculty and administrators who are proven
guilty of corruption
IMPACT :
Changes in behaviors
SCOPE of IMPACT:
All institutions
Conclusions
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NGOs and student organizations are making higher
education institutions more open, lawful, accountable, and
responsive.
While it is too early to assess the impact of these
initiatives, the fact that we are beginning to see strong
student movements against corrupt practices in
universities is encouraging.
One needs to be realistic and recognize that cultural
changes in the CEE countries will not happen over night.
The challenge for governments is to recognize that the
civil society (NGOs, students, and academics) can be their
ally and partner.
Questions?
dteodor@emory.edu